Overview

Workforce development is a growing and critical area of activity for the sector and 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.

Recent initiatives, reports and papers on workforce development will be posted to this site as they become available.

For further details and comments please contact:

Deputy Director
Sector Development/Corporate Services
phone: 92112599

Resources

• NCOSS call for State-Wide Workforce Development Project ,  Nov 2012  
  
  NCOSS Pre-Budget Submission calls for a state-wide Workforce Development Program
  

• NCOSS Workforce Development Project: Equal Pay Case: Regional Consultations,  Dec 2011  

  
  Fair Work Australia has found that community sector workers are underpaid on the basis of gender and is expected to make orders soon to increase pay rates for the sector. NCOSS will be consulting with small, generalist community services in regional NSW in February 2012.

• Australian Workforce Futures: A National Workforce Development Strategy , Skills Australia, March 2010  
  
  This report was prepared for the Commonwealth of Australia by Skills Australia, under the guidance of an Expert Steering Group whose membership included Dr Glen Withers, Dr Tom Karmel and Dr John Buchanan. The Vision of the report is clearly stated: “Australia has the workforce capability required for a productive, sustainable and inclusive future. Australian enterprises have the capacity to develop and use the skills of their workforce to maximum advantage for industry and community benefit.” (p 1)  Of particular interest are recommendations 11 and 12 under the recommended action: “Lead a new partnership approach to workforce development at government, industry and enterprise level” (p 10)

• What’s culture got to do with it? The Role of Organisational Culture in the Recruitment and Retention of Staff in the Community Services Sector. Literature Review. Aug 2009
  
  This literature review explores major issues relating to recruitment and retention of staff in the community services sector. It has chapters on Workforce Development, Recruitment and Retention, Organisational Culture and an extensive BIBLIOGRAPHY. The review of the connections between organisational culture and worker satisfaction are of particular interest for service sustainability. Published August 2009, by Tasmanian Council of Social Service, (TasCOSS), it is part of the Workforce Development Project of the TasCOSS Industry Development Unit and was supported by funding from Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services.

• Labour dynamics and the non-government community service workforce: Research Report May 2009
  
  This significant new research on the NSW NGO workforce, commissioned by the Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Department of Community Services, highlights many of the critical workforce issues previously identified by the sector. These include the centrality of funding arrangements to workforce management and development. Completed by researchers at the UNSW Social Policy Research Centre, the report includes the findings from extensive consultation processes and strategies to build the capacity and sustainability of the workforce.



•  Models of Workforce Development : Paper 1
  
  This paper provides a selection of models and approaches to workforce development that are of relevance to NSW non government community sector (the sector). The intention is to provide a brief summary of existing options to assist us in developing a preferred model for the development of a workforce development strategy for our sector. An essential bibliography on workforce development research and initiatives is also included in this paper.

Research

• Skills Growth or Skills Atrophy - What are the preconditions?
  
  Recent research from the Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council identifies seven primary preconditions for the development of a skilled community services workforce; the first of which is the funding model. The report asserts that a low cost funding environment undermines the potential for training growth.
  • Download: Executive Summary: “Identifying paths to skills growth or skill recession: Decisions for workforce development in the community services and health industries”
  • website: www.cshisc.com.au
• Community Services Training Needs In Rural and Remote NSW [August 2007]
  
  The NSW Community Service and Health Industry Training Advisory Body (CSITAB) recently conducted research across the community services sectors in rural and remote NSW. This research brings together workforce training needs and provides a detailed picture of the learning and training requirements of the sector in non- metropolitan areas of the state.
• Recruitment and Retention in the Community Sector : A snapshot of current concerns, future trends and workforce strategies.
  
  This recent paper (2007) from the Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) considers the current characteristics and needs of the sector, with a specific focus on the workforce issues.