Working in Local Government has been the first step in an exciting career path for a number of City of Geraldton-Greenough employees.
Located in the Midwest region of Western Australia, Geraldton-Greenough covers 1,800 square kilometres and has a population of 38,000 people.
In July, six Council staff were congratulated and presented with certificates by CEO Tony Brun and Deputy Mayor Neil McIlwaine in recognition of their achievements in recently qualifying in their chosen profession.
Council contributed towards the graduates’ study, which included a Diploma in Town Planning, a Master of Environmental Health, a Graduate Diploma of Urban and Regional Planning, a Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning Degree, an Associate Degree in Information Services; and a Graduate Diploma in
Legal Practice.
Manager of Organisational Resources, Governance and Risk, Henry Eaton, said following an amalgamation in 2007, Council had an influx of new staff across the organisation.
“The new organisation is larger, and with that came greater expectations from the community for Council to be more professional in its services and advice, and for it to deliver a wider scope of activities,” he said. “We needed to ensure we had the right expertise and skills development to deliver what was expected from a statutory and governance perspective, but also in keeping with the community’s vision and strategies.
“We aim to increase and improve management training across the organisation, with staff having the skills to act more effectively, professionally and technically within their work areas and across the organisation.”
Henry Eaton said Council offers a range of career options through the City’s Learning and Development philosophy.
Many staff have studied and qualified while learning the practicalities on the job.
“Investing in our staff benefits both the employee and the City,” he said. “We want our people to be leaders in their profession and ambassadors for the City.
“Council has a commitment as a learning organisation and towards the professional development of its staff.
“While employees are required to fit the course hours around their work schedule, Council has a collective agreement to provide time for them to study during work hours, especially during exams.”
As well as congratulating graduates, Geraldton-Greenough recognises and rewards all its employees and encourages staff to nominate their peers for ‘outstanding employee’ staff recognition awards every quarter.
Council executives choose the winners making it a ‘whole organisation’ process.
Deputy Mayor Neil McIlwaine said often the real recognition of and rewards to individuals, work teams and the organisation comes from employees being nominated and selected by their peers for this type of award.
“It is wonderful to take a moment to recognise and reward your staff,” he said. “And it’s great that the whole organisation gets behind it.”
For further information contact Melinda Evans, Council’s Learning and Development Officer on
(08) 9956 6936.
