A group of South Australian councils has taken a regional approach to training and development and induction, resulting in a best practice strategy that is a model for other councils.
The Northern Region Training Group was formed with representation from Barossa, Light, Gawler and Mallala Councils.
The group developed a 12-month regional training program for staff focused on Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) initiatives, and also introduced an online induction system.
Light Regional Council Human Resource and Governance Manager June Austin said the group training program saves the participating councils costs.
“Delivering a regional training plan ensures staff members who previously missed a scheduled training session due to absenteeism or leave now have the opportunity to attend the same training session at an alternate council within the region without incurring additional cost.
“Cost savings gained by sharing training services means additional training sessions can be offered to staff each year and extended waiting periods for training are reduced.”
It is estimated 766 employees from the four Councils will participate in the programs over a 12-month period.
The second initiative saw the development of a uniform, regional online induction system for employees, contractors and volunteers.
Barossa Council Human Resources Advisor Kimberley Rohan said the online method helps improve consistency.
“This has enabled each Council to capture electronic records of WHS inductions undertaken by employees, contractors and volunteers and establish a regional database populated with this data.
“This streamlined approach has improved productivity and consistency across the region.”
