Port Pirie Regional Council in South Australia is striving towards Business Excellence and helping staff members learn on the job.
One of the many initiatives implemented as part of this journey was the Internal Work Experience Program. The aim of this internal work experience initiative was to increase awareness across Council of the range of roles within the organisation and how all roles contribute to the ongoing success of our business.
Manager Human Resources, Michelle Mayger, was pleased at the level of interest shown by employees.
“The program offers employees an opportunity to explore different experiences, try out new skills and most importantly, create a sense of appreciation for other roles performed within Council, said Ms Mayger.
“We have the potential to change behaviours and shape our culture by creating a sense of fun and respect amongst our workforce.
“We hope that this program will help us to achieve this goal and encourage cooperation between departments to grow.”
The Internal Work Experience Program is available to all staff. The first to participate in the Program was Chief Executive Officer Dr Andrew Johnson who spent time over three days with Council’s Mini Rail Volunteers, the Rural Depot and the Library. He will be working another work experience stint in February with another two departments.
“I enjoyed my time ‘on the tools’ working along side our hard working staff, whether it was cleaning our drains, digging holes for road signs or finding books for our library home delivery clients,” said Dr Johnson.
“The experience gave me a first hand opportunity to discuss issues, concerns and suggestions with staff and have a better understanding of the work environment across the organsiation.”
Port Pire Regional Council’s Internal Work Experience Program is one of several initiatives within the Business Excellence program, HIVE, developed to drive progress at every level.
