This document summarizes a collaboration between government, university, training organizations and health services in the Katherine region of Northern Territory, Australia to address workforce development needs. Through the Workplace English Language and Literacy (WELL) program, over 100 participants received foundational skills training over 12 months. Evaluations found the training increased participant confidence, improved daily work, and was seen as culturally safe and addressing learning needs. Collaborators learned that long-term, sustained training is needed and relationships between trainers and participants are key to success. The collaboration aims to continue developing workforce skills.

1. Judith Mckay
Human Services Training Advisory Council
Dr Pascale Dettwiller
Flinders University, Katherine Campus
We have no conflict of interest to disclose

2. Be a change maker,
interagency collaboration between government department, university, training operator and community health services in the Katherine region

3. Collaborators
Katherine West Health Board

4. Setting the scene
•
Program Evolution
•
Collaboration and Program Innovation
•
Geographical Demographics
•
Program Delivery
–
Addressing the Skill Gap
–
Community Engagement
–
Vocational Training Support through WELL
–
Delivery Endorsement

6. http://www.hstac.com.au/WorkforceStrategy/
Key drivers:
•
Collaborators;
•
Alarm in the declining AHW registrations;
•
Lack of workforce data;
•
Strategic Statements;

7. Consider Location
Issues
Determine Demand
Identify Current Supply (see definitions)
By Workforce Segment:
Identify Turnover
Assess Potential Supply
(Loss through Attrition based on history. See definition.)
Likely increase/decrease in years e.g. 2015-2017 based on the following factors:

Political

Economy

Social

Technological

Legal

Environmental
Including:

Emerging Workforce

Population

Pre School Students

School Students

School leavers who achieved year 12

Those likely to re-join the workforce

Existing employees likely to develop skills in identified workforce segments.

Previously under utilised supply eg. Older Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander & CALD.
Does demand match location of supply?
Reassess Viability of Meeting the Anticipated Demand
Identify Barriers/Risks/
Opportunities
- Agency culture and structure
-
Workforce models
-
Capacity for training
-
Capacity of supervisors
Design Strategies to meet/reduce demand
Prioritise and Implement
Identify who needs to involved And develop engagement strategies
Workforce Planning

8. Northern Territory Katherine Region
•
346,000 square kilometers
•
25% of Northern Territory
•
Approximate land mass the size of Germany

9. Central Desert Training WELL Team

10. Six weekly meetings with collaborators at Katherine

11. 103 participants engaged in the first 12 months
Data collected at the end of April 2014

12. WELL…
•
Equips employees with the skills needed to be a part of work
•
Personalizes instruction to achieve specific workplace learning goals
•
Delivers immediate actionable skills for daily work

13. Workforce drivers that built momentum
•Reducing internal communication barriers among employees
•Team building
•Overcoming Communication barriers with central office
•Communication with clients and stakeholders
•Quality & Safety requirements (WHS)
•Building Aboriginal workforce capacity
•Community services capacity building
•Development & retention of the workforce
•Career pathways
Skill and Knowledge development

14. An evidenced base - Process Evaluation
The evaluation agreed upon by the Collaborative was to:
•
Explore how LLN delivery (WELL program) meets the current and future workforce needs for Aboriginal people.
•
Confirm that effective case management of individuals or groups in communities may often rely on a ‘wrap- around’, cooperative approach being in place.
•
Evidence innovative embedding of LLN into vocational areas of Aboriginal Health and Community Service Work.
•
Provide evidence of increased collaboration across services

15. Findings
Wurli 5%
SHS 62%
KWHB 17%
KDH 3%
CDT 5%
HSTAC 8%
Wurli
SHS
KWHB
Distribution of respondents who participated to the process evaluation
95% female
5% male
GENDER DISTRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION BY HEALTH SERVICES

16. Median Distribution of Respondents by Profession
8%
25%
34%
17%
8%
8%
DRIVERS
ATSIHP (registered and in training)
NURSES (acting manager and clinical)
CLEANERS( one female and one male)
GROUND MAINTENANCE
ADMIN SUPPORT (admin, cultural navigator
and/or ATSIH in training)

17. 0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Context of the training
Timing of the training
Venue for training
WELL program has addressed learning
issues
Opportunity for mentoring
WELL written material
Culturally aware and safe
How would you rate the impact of the
program on your daily work?
How would you rate the impact of the
program on your confidence?
Overall, how would you rate the program
so far?
Very dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Not sure
Satisfied
Very satisfied
Employee Satisfaction

18. What they told us
“..they had never before felt so much a part of their team”
Their colleagues acknowledged that due to time constraints and language barriers that they had, at times, “worked around” participants perceived limitations but now saw them as a vital part of the success of their Health Centre’s practice. Participants Exec 2.

19. That it was possible “to have a career not just a job - even if you live in the bush.”

20. Employer Satisfaction

21. What did we learn?
1. Supporting Aboriginal Health and Community Services workforce to develop foundation skills for work will have greater benefits for Aboriginal people to enter, stay and continue to develop vocational skills, with benefits that go beyond the workplace.
Well being, part of the team, proud, wanting more, belief in what is possible, where to next for the individual?

22. What did we learn?
2. There is a high cost investment for front end delivery of programs at regional and remote workplaces that needs to be maintained.
Shared responsibility, sustained and not for the short time, has to be long term!

23. What did we learn?
3. Collaboration and a strong integrated approach are required to reduce barriers and develop enablers that will increase visibility and understanding about literacy development at the workplace.
Agreed roles and responsibilities, induction and orientation programs are important for success.

24. What did we learn?
4. The development of relationships between WELL Trainers and WELL participants are a key component to successful workplace-based programs that will have a positive effect on attendance and workplace dynamics.
Enabler for employees and employers, building confidence at the workplace.

25. •
There is an ongoing need to continue to facilitate a Workforce Development Skill Set to embed these skills at the workplace that will be sustainable for the future.
•
Achieving this outcome requires a long-term workforce development investment at the service delivery level.
•
The return on investment is increasing community ownership of remote medical services; build leadership capability of remote medical services and the associated health benefits to the community as a whole.

26. Foundation Skills
Work based learning
Sustained for longer periods of time
Individual or group support
Contextualised to the workplace

27. Our contacts
Human Services Training Advisory Council
Judith Mckay
Judith.mckay@hstac.com.au
2nd floor, Harbourview Plaza,
8 McMinn Street, Darwin
GPO Box 1557, Darwin, NT 0801
T: 0889812550 | M: 0488444556
Follow us @HSTAC_NT
Central Desert Training Pty Ltd
Kailas Kerr
PO Box 2435, Alice Springs NT 0871
M: 0439 083 599 F:(08) 8953 3986 P: (08) 8953 7247
kailas@centraldeserttraining.com.au
Flinders University
Katherine Campus
Dr Pascale Dettwiller
Flinders University
Katherine Site Director
M: 0433308284
pascale.dettwiller@flinders.edu.au