INTRODUCTION:

A structure of workforce development was often equated with professional development and focused on the needs and development of the individual worker. Increasingly, contemporary research and policies also recognize the need to focus at the organizational and strategic systems levels as well.

Workforce Development has emerged to describe a relatively wide range of activities, policies and programs. The term often becomes a proxy for career and technical education but the spread of the term to replace the previous conceptualization of ‘skills shortage’ signals a growing awareness that previous approaches in this area are inadequate to address emerging challenges in the face of demand surges and changing demographics.

Workforce Development can be seen as a combination of managing the size and composition of the workforce, retaining and managing that workforce and skilling that workforce. One of the important conceptual leaps involved in a workforce development approach is the shift to ‘systems thinking’. This is fundamental to grasping what workforce development is about. While education and training can be part of a workforce development perspective, they essentially focus on the individual learners or workers. The deficit requiring rectification (through training) is seen to lie with that individual. No further consideration is given to the organizational context in which that person operates or the wider system at large which may ultimately determine whether specific policies or practices can be put in place.

Workforce Development, when conceptualized from a systems perspective, includes the following factors:

o Legislation;

o Policy;

o Funding;

o Recruitment and retention;

o Resources;

o Support mechanisms; and

o Incentives

Some of the key question to consider when assessing structure and their potential application to our sector include:

o What do we mean by ‘workforce development’- what should it encompass, include and exclude?

o What is the relationship between a workforce development strategy and an overall industry or sector plan?

o Given the characteristics of the sector in NSW, what are the specific requirements of a strategy that will make sense for us?

o What are the most important points of intervention (where do we start) and how can we all meaningfully and practically contribute and benefit?

o Who are the key partners implied and required; which stakeholders outside the sector also have a role and invested interest in the development of a highly skilled and valued sector workforce (e.g. service users and communities)?

o What is the role of Government (state and federal) on the scope and nature of a workforce development strategy?

Structure of Workforce Development

Structure 1: A ‘Three Levels’ Approach.

This structure , developed by the National Research Centre of Alcohol and Other Drugs, clusters inter-related strategies at three levels of activity (1) systems, (2) organizational, and (3) team/individual. These levels of strategies include the following:

1. Systems Strategies:

o Ensuring adequate funding arrangements and resources

^o^D^e^v^{elopment and revision of policy and legislation to ensure effective and efficient}functioning of organisations

o Development and review of award structures to ensure fair and adequate pay

o Provision of workforce development grants and scholarships

o Support for specific research on workforce development

o Development and support for related curriculum in human services tertiary education.

o Development and support for sector specialist qualifications in tertiary institutions

o Building organisational and individual capacity

2. Organizational Strategies

o Develop and implement workforce development policies

o Provision of supervision and mentoring programs

o Provision of professional development opportunities

o Ensuring adequate rewards and recognition

o Negotiation of job redesign and job enrichment with workers

o Provision of a healthy, safe and pleasant working environment

o Participation and support for workforce development programs and research

o Ensuring opportunities for input into organisational decision-making for all staff

3. Team/Individual Strategies

o Identification of professional development needs/priorities

o Proactive development of mentoring relationships

o Provision of support, guidance and encouragement to colleagues

o Openness to change and innovation in work practices

o Implementation of shared care arrangements

o Development of professional/collegial networks

o Innovative rewards

Structure 2: Workforce Development as a Component of Capacity Building.

The term ‘capacity building’ is sometimes used interchangeably with ‘workforce development’ but can be distinguished by the emphasis of capacity building on the structural levels of development. In other words, workforce development is a component of organisational capacity building. The interchangeable use of the terms nevertheless reflects the interdependence of all systems within organisations.

The organisational capacity building components of workforce development often include two broad categories a) workforce sustainability and b) management and supervision.

a) Workforce sustainability

o Recruitment

o Motivation

o Stress and Burnout

o Job satisfaction

o Career Paths

o Turnover

o Job Design

b) Management and Supervision

o Supervision

o Mentoring

o Management Development and Support

The NSW Health Departments capacity building framework takes a similar approach by locating workforce development as one of five major components of capacity building. This framework acknowledges the contribution of partnerships, resource allocation, organisational development, and leadership, as well as workforce development to determine the capacity of services and networks of service.

This framework is presented graphically in Figure 1.

At the peaks level, the Network of Drug and Alcohol Agencies (NADA) has adopted a framework for workforce development that emphasises the capacity building aspects of organisation and systems in workforce development frameworks.

The NADA approach has identified five key areas of activity.

1. Skills Enhancement - Enhancing workers’ skills and knowledge by increasing opportunities for participation in workforce development activities.

2. Flexibility and Innovation - Creating opportunities for the design and implementation of flexible, innovative and multi-disciplinary workforce and management development strategies and projects.

3. Leadership and Support -Providing leadership and support for the development and implementation of workforce development policies and practices at system and organisational levels.

4. Evaluation and Evidence - Building evidence and promoting innovation in workforce development practice.

5. Timeline Planning – NADA’s three year program commenced in June 2004 and has a state-wide brief, focussing on their member agencies.

Structure 3: A ‘Strategic Imperatives’ Model

This structure was developed by the New Zealand Ministry of Health and addresses systems and organisational strategies to produce five ‘strategic imperatives’ for workforce development. The five ‘strategic imperatives’ are-

1. Infrastructure Development - Creating a nationally relevant infrastructure by clustering national workforce development implementation initiatives within an organisational framework that has a solution focus independent of defined structures. Indigenous organisations like Te Rau Matatini for example, has responsibility for initiatives in relation to its goal of strengthening and developing the Mäori mental health workforce with initiatives including training for Mäori without mental health qualifications, developing student placements in Mäori service provider settings, and developing career pathways for Mäori nurses.

2. Training and development - Co-ordinating disparate elements of the sector into a framework that is relevant for all parties and with a qualifications framework that meets service provider requirements and takes into account existing competencies.

3. Retention and recruitment – Developing a national and regional response to issues of retention and recruitment. This objective seeks to assist in the production of medium to long-term solutions to national and regional recruitment problems across all services with the aim of reducing the present reactive, crisis-driven approach and creating efficiency and effectiveness gains through regional and national collaboration.

4. Organisational development - To assist the sector to develop the organisational culture and systems necessary to sustain their workforce. Training is not regarded as the sole solution to capacity and capability concerns when organisations do not provide a supportive environment for workers.

5. Research and evaluation - To ensure information is available to the sector to inform workforce development and to seek better understanding of the effectiveness of workforce development expenditure. This objective defines research and evaluation as they relate to the capacity and capability of the workforce, the work produced and the environment or context in which work is carried out.

Structure 4. A ‘Systems, Current and Future’ Approach

Developed by the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction, the ‘Systems, Current and Future’ approach includes the following key areas:

• Workforce planning and development;

• Quality of evidence-based practice at all levels linked to governance and credentialing

• Broad trends – globalisation, technology, changing knowledge and expectations, labour costs

• Education and training

• Service delivery developments

• Recruitment and retention - workplace environment (“good employer issues”)

• Workforce capacity

• Indigenous workforce development.

These areas are then located in a framework of three levels,

1. Systems

2. Current Workers

3. Future Workforce

Structure 5: A ‘Team/Individual Strategic’ Approach

A five year plan developed by the Government of Scotland (The National Strategy for the

Development of the Social Service Workforce in Scotland, 2005) for their social services

workforce emphasises support and attention to individual workers and teams, and the relationship of workforce development to the needs of clients and unpaid carers.

This approach places an unusual degree of responsibility on individual workers and participation by service users.

This approach is based on the premise that excellent services will be delivered by a workforce which:

• Is flexible, responsive and prioritises service users needs and those of unpaid carers;

• Is competent and confident with the knowledge and expertise required to meet the needs of the changing environment;

• Takes responsibility for their own learning by seeking out opportunities that meet their personal and professional aspirations and responsibilities;

• Is supported by organisations that prioritise employee development and have workforce plans in place;

• Is supported to maximise its potential and has clear career pathways;

• Maintains and develops positive working and learning partnerships with a range of other professions and across local authority and independent sectors; and

• Values itself and is valued by others.

The plan also details nine implementation strategies to achieve the above outcomes:

1. Develop opportunities and choices for staff to choose how to progress in their careers.

2. Users and carers participate in workforce development to ensure that services suit their needs.

3. Even with agreed policies and systems in place and an organisational commitment to

actively supporting learning and development, it is important to acknowledge the challenging agenda presented by the full spectrum of learning and development needs that range from induction to core training and continuing development for all staff.

4. The establishment of effective ways for people to gain recognition for the skills they already have.

5. The explicit provision of material opportunities for learning and development that allow flexible learning.

6. Strategies to inform clients that those delivering social services have the necessary skills

and knowledge to meet their needs.

7. The development of evidence demonstrating that investment in the training of the social services workforce is vital for the future.

8. The effective use of existing and under-used resources to support workforce development.

9. Emphasis on the fact that social services have a key role to play in building the kinds of communities that people will want to live in is not just about providing high quality services for the most disadvantaged groups and individuals in our communities but about improved quality of life and enhanced opportunities for all in society.

CONCLUSION:

The need for an informed and strategic approach to the development of the sectors workforce is now well acknowledged. What is often less clear is the best approach or approaches to this critical issue. It is hoped the proceeding summary of models may assist in informing future discussion on a preferred approach.

The five models reflect the range in emphasis and scope of workforce development approaches. They extend from broad ‘systems thinking’ to personal responsibility of individual workers, as well as suites of strategies across several points of intervention including systems, organisations, teams, regions and the current and future workforce.

The development of a state wide sector development strategy, that includes a comprehensive workforce development strategy, is a key priority of NCOSS over the next couple of years. This strategy will need to be broad enough to encompass the many sub-sectors (e.g. health, out of home care, SAAP) and specific enough to address the common critical factors that impact across the NGO sector in NSW. Our relationships with Government, as a significant funder, regulator and partner, will be one of these critical factors.

A state-wide workforce development strategy for our sector clearly needs to prioritise the broader

‘systems strategies’; actions that generate a positive and attractive employment environment, as well as actively enabling training, regulatory and funding frameworks. However there are equally significant contributions and actions at the organisational, peak, program and regional levels. Consequently any future workforce development strategy will also need to prioritise relationships, both within and beyond the sector.

REFERENCES:

The Federation of Community Legal Centres Victoria Capacity Building Project A Health Check for Community Legal Centres,’ September 2006 http://www.communitylaw.org.au/fedclc/ files/links/CLC_Health_Check Why_we_d.doc

Gunn, Christopher (2003,) Third Sector Development: Making up for the Market Cornell University Press, USA

Hall, Richard and Lansbury, Russell 2006) “Skills in Australia: Towards Workforce Development and Sustainable Skill Ecosystems,” Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 48, No. 5, 575-592 _{(2006) http://jir.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/48/5/575}

The Network of Alcohol and Drug Agencies Inc (NADA) Workforce Development Resources http://www.nada.org.au/

SACOSS and University of South Australia (2007) “Careers at the Coal-face? Community Services in South Australia: Workforce Development; Professor Ed Carson, Christine Maher, Peter King, February 2007, www.sacoss.org.au/ Online_docs/Careers_Coalface_Condensed_Report.pdf

Scottish Executive Publications (2005) - The National Strategy for the Development of the Social Service Workforce in Scotland: A Plan for Action 2005-2010’ http://www.scotland.gov.uk/ Publications/2005/11/07103926/39271

Shoobridge, J. (2002). Training Transfer: The What, How and Wherefore Art Thou? In A.M. Roche, J. McDonald (Eds) Catching Clouds: Exploring Diversity in Workforce Development for.

Received on 05.02.2015 Modified on 23.02.2015

Int. J. Ad. Social Sciences 3(1): Jan. –Mar., 2015; Page 29-34