On Monday 7 July, the Australian Institute of Social Relations held a workforce development focus night to discuss the importance of workforce development for individuals, organisations and the community services sector as a whole.
The event was also an opportunity to showcase the range of tailored training opportunities available through the Institute.
Paul Herbig, VET Coordinator at the Australian Institute of Social Relations, said that workforce development not only has benefits for staff and employers but also for the sector as a whole.
“When staff have the right skills, it leads to a more productive workforce, an improved economy and an increased probability that organisations will be able to meet emerging skills demands,” Paul said.
“It also lifts consumer faith in the industry as a whole, which is vitally important.”
Industry professionals from several community services organisations attended the event and shared their experiences of studying with the Institute.
Maria Ross, CEO of Northern Adelaide Carers Network, said that investing in training and upskilling staff was one of the organisation’s strategic objectives over the next 5 years.
“The Institute has helped us to meet this objective by assisting us to develop a tailored training package suitable for the unique needs of our staff,” Maria said.
Vanessa Wardle, Program Coordinator at Novita Children’s Services, added that the support provided by the Institute was great for her staff, as their skills levels and study experience varied greatly.
“We have staff with a range of language, literacy and numeracy skills; some have very limited experience using a computer and for many of our staff this was the first time they were completing any study,” Vanessa said.
“The Institute was able to offer face to face training days at our workplace, which is important to our staff as they require face to face support.
“My staff also felt comfortable approaching the trainers and asking for any additional support they required.”
The Institute is aiming to hold another workforce development focus night in the coming months.
Find out more about workforce development.