 |
 |
Summary of performance 2006-07 APS policy and employment services Better practice and evaluation  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Links to publications referred to on this page:
|
| Development programmes | |
Deputy Public Service Commissioner, Lynne Tacy, and graduates at the A taste of Government seminar, April 2007
|
 |
Home
Previous page
Performance review : Development programmes : Leadership services : Programme delivery
Output 2.3: National and international programmes
Programme delivery
The Commission delivers learning and development programmes that build the knowledge, capabilities, skills and behaviours that agencies require of their employees in the modern APS environment. In meeting these expectations, the programmes also assist individual public servants to further pursue their career aspirations.
| Target | Result |
|---|---|
| Quantity | |
| Number of programmes delivered—target is 1421. | Exceeded. 2152 programmes were delivered. |
| SES Orientation Percentage of new entrants to the SES attending an orientation in the first 1-3 years—target is 100%. |
Not achieved. 54% of new entrants to the SES attended an SES orientation in the first 1-3 years. However, this is a substantial improvement on the result of the previous financial year (which was 33%). |
| Quality | |
| APS 1–6 and EL programmes Percentage of responding participants who when surveyed give a rating 5 or 6 on a 6-point scale for: |
|
|
Exceeded. 88% of respondents gave a rating of 5 or 6 on a 6-point scale. |
|
Exceeded. 89% of respondents gave a rating of 5 or 6 on a 6-point scale. |
|
Exceeded. 92% of respondents gave a rating of 5 or 6 on a 6-point scale. |
| SES Orientation Percentage of responding participants who when surveyed give a rating of 5 or 6 on a 6-point scale for: |
|
|
Exceeded. 89% of respondents gave a rating of 5 or 6 on a 6-point scale. |
|
Exceeded. 92% of respondents gave a rating of 5 or 6 on a 6-point scale. |
|
Not achieved. 79% of respondents gave a rating of 5 or 6 on a 6-point scale. |
| Consultancy Services—client satisfaction Percentage of responding surveyed clients who used services provided direct to agencies by brokering delivery from the panel who give an average rating of 5 or 6 on a 6-point scale, for how well the programme was: |
|
|
Exceeded. 92% of responding clients gave an average rating of 5 or 6 on a 6-point scale. |
|
Not achieved. 61% of responding clients gave an average rating of 5 or 6 on a 6-point scale. |
| Estimated price: $7.085 million | Actual: $8.217million |
SES orientation
The Commission’s three-day SES orientation programme was delivered fifteen times during 2006–07. The programme provides new senior executives with the essential information they need to operate effectively in the APS environment. The programme also gives SES officers the opportunity to build valuable networks with their peers across the APS. The programme is aligned with the capabilities identified in the Integrated Leadership System (ILS). Topics covered include governance and the relationship between Ministers and the APS.
During the course of the programme SES officers have the opportunity to hear from guest speakers ranging from Portfolio Secretaries, Ministerial chiefs of staff, senior executives and executive assistants who work for SES officers. Two hundred and twenty-two senior executives attended the orientation programmes in 2006–07, an increase of 35 per cent on the previous year.
| Financial year | Total participants | Total events |
|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 110 | 7 |
| 2004–05 | 67 (-39%) | 5 |
| 2005–06 | 164 (+ 144%) | 11 |
| 2006–07 | 222 (+ 35%) | 15 |
| Note: Figures in brackets represent percentage change on previous year. | ||
APS induction: improved support for new starters in the APS
The 2005 Management Advisory Committee (MAC) report Managing & sustaining the APS workforce highlighted the importance of ensuring that new employees to the APS have the necessary skills and knowledge to work effectively in the unique APS environment.
When the Commission commenced development work on a set of APS induction materials, as a result of the MAC report, it was focused on creating a product that included positive and consistent messages about:
- working in the APS and the benefits of an APS career
- the professional APS culture—cooperative, fair, apolitical and impartial
- being responsive to the Government of the day
- being accountable.
The APS induction materials were also part of the broader Commission work during 2006–07 aimed at supporting the APS as an employer of choice—see also outputs 1.2–employment services and 3.2–promoting better practice.
A CD of seven e-learning modules for use as a resource by agencies in the development of their induction and orientation programmes was officially launched by the Commissioner in August 2007. The modules were developed following extensive consultation with many APS agencies and included a focus group, consisting of representatives from 12 APS agencies as well as the Department of Parliamentary Services.
The CD is complemented by a facilitated programme which has been developed by the Commission as part of the public programmes calendar for delivery in 2007–08.
Visit http://www.apsc.gov.au/apsinduction/ for further information.Graduate development
The development of graduates is an important focus for the Commission’s learning and development products, events and services. The Commission continually reviews and evaluates its programmes to keep abreast of opportunities that will increase graduates’ knowledge and enhance their skills and contributions within the APS.
In 2006–07 there was increased interest in the Commission’s annual A taste of Government seminar with a record number of 617 graduates attending this year’s seminar in April 2007, compared with 382 graduates in 2005–06. The seminar was presented by Dr Peter Shergold, Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Deputy Public Service Commissioner, Ms Lynne Tacy.
The Graduate update series continued to be popular in 2006–07. One event was held in December 2006, attended by 124 graduates. This compares with two events held in 2005–06 which attracted a combined attendance of 143 graduates.
Both the Graduate update series and A taste of Government seminar are viewed by agencies as an important component of a well-rounded graduate year in the APS.
Visit http://www.apsc.gov.au/apslearn/ for further details.
| Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary, Dr Peter Shergold, addressing the A taste of Government seminar, April 2007 |  |
APS 1–6 programmes
Meeting the needs of the APS 1–6 cohort’s ongoing learning and development requirements is essential to the successful delivery of government services. Overall, at 30 June 2006, the APS1–6 cohort accounted for 74.4 per cent of ongoing employees in the APS. The Commission, therefore, ensures its learning and development suite of programmes are relevant and topical.
In Canberra in 2006–07, 126 APS 1–6 programmes were delivered attracting 2,047 participants. While this represents an overall decrease of 6.67 per cent in the overall number of programmes delivered, there was an overall increase of 4.17 per cent in numbers of participants attending.
In 2006–07 the most popular programmes were:
- Interview tips and techniques
- Marketing yourself into an Executive Level position
- Strategic thinking.
Further information on the suite of APS 1–6 programmes can be found at: http://www.apsc.gov.au/apslearn/
EL programmes
In 2006–07 63 Executive Level (EL) programmes attracted 1,095 participants representing a 34.19% increase in the number of participants in the previous year.
The most popular EL programmes in Canberra throughout the 2006–07 period were:
- Executive Level 1 transition
- Executive Level 2 transition
- Shaping strategic thought
- Writing with influence
- Influencing skills.
The EL updates continues to offer EL staff the opportunity to keep up to date with major changes that affect the APS and assists executives to consider the implications for themselves, their staff and their agency. The EL updates sessions offered in Canberra continued to attract high levels of participation in 2006–07 with a total attendance of 331 participants at three sessions—an increase of 67 per cent participation on the previous year which had a total of four updates.
The topics covered in 2006–07 were:
- Avian influenza virus – the Government's disaster management strategy: what is involved
- Audit as a valuable governance tool
- State of the service report.
The updates focus on the Shapes strategic thinking criteria of the Integrated Leadership System (ILS) and in particular harnessing of information and opportunities.
Further information on the suite of EL learning and development programmes can be found at: http://www.apsc.gov.au/ellearn/
Consultancy services
The Commission can customise programmes and services to meet the particular needs of agencies in a flexible and cost-effective manner. For many government organisations, this method has grown to become the preferred option. Tailored, in-house delivery provides direct access to quality training and development in a way that maximises opportunities and achieves considerable cost savings.
Client managers within the Commission, in partnership with the panel of consultants, can help agencies assess their people issues, culture and needs to propose tailored solutions.
The consultancy panel provides access to a broad range of tested and experienced providers with a track record of delivering within an APS context.
Approximately 46 agencies accessed our services during 2006–07 with over 1,300 programmes being delivered.
Significant achievements in 2006–07 included:
- working in partnership with Centrelink; the Departments of Health and Ageing; Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs; and Transport and Regional Services to develop their in-house training calendars
- working with the Department of Transport and Regional Services to source a consultant for the development and delivery of its SES executive leadership development workshop.
- working with the Child Support Agency to arrange customer focus training for all agency staff
- working with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to source a consultant for projects such as their 'Business-focussed detail process mapping’ and 'Visa Transformation Strategy'. These projects were identified as client service improvement projects that will have significant impact on DIAC's State and Territory service delivery network.
| Programme | Number of programmes presented |
|---|---|
| Writing skills | 183 |
| Leadership/management skills | 137 |
| Procurement and contract management | 91 |
| Project management | 66 |
| Programme management | 63 |
| Coaching services | 56 |
| Policy | 55 |
The Commissioner welcomed over 118 consultants on the Commission’s Leadership, Learning and Development Panel (LLDP) to a briefing session held at the Commission on 5 July 2006. The briefing session provided an overview of the panel arrangements and conveyed the message of our continued dedication to providing client-focused service to assist with building the capabilities across APS agencies. The Commissioner drew attention to the APS Values and Code of Conduct and the Commission’s expectation that consultants would abide by and incorporate these into their services. The briefing session also provided an opportunity for staff from the Programmes Group to introduce themselves to the panel members and answer their questions.
The Commission has recently completed a review of the LLDP. The review took into account feedback from APS agencies and suppliers and found that the panel is generally working well. Key recommendations from the review are an expansion of the panel to address new and increased demand from agencies, as well as the need for some service improvements.
Visit http://www.apsc.gov.au/learn/custom.htm for further details.
Programmes outside Canberra
During 2006–07, 101 calendar programmes were delivered in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth and other locations outside of Canberra on a range of topical issues including: financial management; conducting investigations; executive assistant programmes; supporting staff with mental illness; writing skills; managing and leading; and project management.
The Commission continues to respond to an increasing demand for tailored and agency-specific programmes. Staff in regional offices negotiated and arranged delivery of 605 in‑house programmes to APS and Commonwealth agencies. In the majority of circumstances in‑house programmes were facilitated by Commission staff members that have subject matter expertise on areas such as: staff selection and recruitment; bullying and harassment prevention; the APS Values and Code of Conduct; and the Integrated Leadership System.
Early in 2007 the Commissioner addressed senior managers in all states and territories to highlight key findings and future challenges for the APS as identified in the State of the service report 2005–06, including discussion on the leadership, learning and development needs of non-Canberra based staff and how best to respond to these.
In Victoria, the current deed of agreement to provide learning and development services through the Tasmanian Training Consortium to both APS and state sector employees in Tasmania was successfully extended. A number of calendar programmes were conducted in Tasmania throughout the year, providing not only an important opportunity for learning but also for cross-jurisdictional networking of participants.
