APS Data Profession: Three year program report

Foreword

I am thrilled to see the initiatives progressed in the Data Profession over the past 12 months. We have seen favourable outcomes from some of the initiatives launched in the first two years and have built on them in year three.

We were delighted to host the APS Data Awards on 17 May this year. The Awards highlight innovative and resourceful approaches which showcase the use of data by APS teams to make a difference to the Australian community.

I am pleased to see continuing growing interest in data by prospective graduates. The APS Graduate recruitment program expanded for the 2024 intake with over 1,400 applications and 40 agencies seeking around 370 data graduates. The SES Data Leadership Course, which builds foundational data skills for the SES, was piloted in the first year and offered throughout 2022-23. It will continue into 2024, having had 129 SES staff from 22 agencies attend so far.

I encourage all public sector data professionals to sign up to the Data Profession Members’ Community Platform, the web-based platform for data professionals to learn about events, job opportunities, communities of interest and resources relevant to their work. Also on the platform are my In Conversation videos in which I interview people for whom data plays a big role in their careers.

I look forward to further development of the Data Profession in the year ahead and thank all our partner agencies for their collaboration.

Dr David Gruen AO
Australian Statistician
Head of the Data Profession

Introduction

This review is designed to give the reader a sense of what has been achieved over the last three years, complete with case studies and achievements against the Data Profession Strategy’s measures of success.

The review touches on the next year’s work program, which will deliver initiatives that provide opportunities for data professionals to develop specialist capabilities and skills for career progression and focuses on embedding a data profession that is valued and sustainable.

As noted in previous reports, engaging with colleagues across APS agencies was, and remains, critical to the success of the Data Profession. In year three, we commenced an ambitious work program through a Program Board managed ‘APS distributed team’ approach. This co-design approach, and close collaboration with agencies, ensures the Data Profession delivers products and programs which are of value across the data domain.

I’d particularly like to thank the following agencies for taking the lead on Data Profession projects: The Department of Home Affairs; The Australian Taxation Office; The Department of Health and Aged Care; and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

I would also like to thank the Data Profession Team at the ABS who continue to coordinate and champion the work program to ensure its success.

Jenet Connell
Deputy Australian Statistician
Senior Responsible Officer

Summary – Progress of initiatives against the Strategy

The Data Professional Stream Strategy contained 16 initiatives grouped into 4 strategy themes. Of these 16 initiatives, 13 were delivered and 3 partially delivered over the period 2020-23. The status of all these initiatives can be found in the Three Year (2020-23) status on a page.

There were also additional initiatives added to the Strategy:

• Ongoing Members’ Community Platform
• APS Data Awards 2023
• Expansion of Data Job Role Personas
• Data Capability Framework review and development of self-assessment tool
• Creating a strong alignment between the Data Profession and the APS Academy

The success of the Data Profession work program has been evaluated in three ways:

Progress against benefit measures – The Data Profession evaluated its success against a set of measures linked to program benefits. Specifically:

1. Uplift and deepen APS data capability and instil a culture of data excellence
2. APS agencies will offer staff clearer pathways and greater mobility over their careers as data professionals
3. APS agencies will attract, develop and retain a highly talented data workforce

Case studies – Achievements against the Strategy

The Data Profession has drafted a series of case studies to take a detailed look at some of the key achievements against the Strategy.

Challenges, lessons learned and opportunities.

Based on the outcomes of the third year of the work program.

Year four

This report also provides an indication of key priorities for the fourth year.