Home » Developing our people

Developing our people

More employees than ever at City of Cockburn, Western Australia, are accessing inspirational workplace leadership training once reserved for supervisors attending traditional 1-2 day training courses.

Leadership Learning Modules is the City’s unique approach to providing continual development opportunities to its 1000 plus employees.

Human Resources Manager, Cliff McKinley, said employees were gaining an increased knowledge of Cockburn’s inclusive workplace culture, while reducing time spent away from the core work functions they were passionate about.

The 2-3 hour in-house modules catch employees at the awareness-raising stage of learning, giving an insight into the City’s models, frameworks, and processes and their associated consistent languages.

And employees are coming away from their training with increased knowledge via a more enjoyable training experience.

Learning & Development Coordinator, Sandra Morton, said, “We’ve found the short module approach makes it easier for participants to focus and be engaged for the whole session.

“This really improves their learning experience and maximises skill retention.”

The sessions cover a wide range of common leadership skills such as Building High Performance Teams, Delivering Presentations, Difficult Conversations, Bullying and Harassment, Diversity and Inclusion, Investigations – Focusing on the Right Things and Time Management.

They are supplemented by specialised modules facilitated by external experts on topics as diverse as Keeping Sane® In A Busy Workplace, Fatigue Management, Intro to Mindfulness and Intro to Emotional Intelligence.

Mr McKinley said the City still provided opportunities to attend longer 2-5 days training programs where necessary although the program’s success had resulted in less requests for longer, more expensive training.

“In such a large and diverse organisation, our module approach to learning has significantly improved the lack of consistency in how people issues are addressed.

“It’s led to an even better engaged and trusting culture.”

Digital Editions


  • Change in the weather

    Change in the weather

    AUSSIE FLOOD RESCUE It’s obvious to everybody that we are seeing weather changes. It appears to be more erratic and frequent than ever before. Local…

More News

  • Unit demolished as Ipswich flood recovery continues

    Unit demolished as Ipswich flood recovery continues

    Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding has welcomed the demolition of Mihi Grove, a flood-hit 42-unit complex in Brassall purchased as part of the Queensland and Australian Government’s Resilient Homes Fund Voluntary…

  • Fraser adopts tree

    Fraser adopts tree

    The Fraser Coast now has an official tree, with Council today adopting the Kauri Pine as a symbol of the region’s culture, history and natural environment. Fraser Coast Mayor George…

  • Council take on much-loved garden

    Council take on much-loved garden

    Glenorchy City Council will take on the administration of the Chigwell Community Garden, securing the future of the much-loved community space and supporting continued shared use by local groups. Glenorchy…

  • Fuel prices hurt country LGAs

    Fuel prices hurt country LGAs

    The fuel crisis is hitting remote, rural and regional communities hard, with farmers, freight carriers, tourism operators and local government all expressing concerns about the lack of supply and the…

  • Navigating grants

    Navigating grants

    How Administrative Complexity Is Eroding One of Local Government’s Most Powerful Tools Local government grants exist to create impact in communities. Yet across the sector, that purpose is increasingly being…

  • Looking to the future

    Looking to the future

    Flinders Lane will be abuzz for two days this month with Townsville Youth Council – supported by Townsville City Council – set to deliver a free festival focused on the…

  • WA leads the way as people to the regions

    WA leads the way as people to the regions

    Ten million people now call regional Australia home, and Western Australia is leading the way with its regional population growing faster than the cities, according to a deep dive into…

  • Sewer grant sought

    Sewer grant sought

    Fraser Coast Regional Council will seek Queensland Government funding for two major water and sewerage projects with capacity to support more than 11,000 new homes across the region. At its…

  • Mayors call for waste levy

    Mayors call for waste levy

    Mayors across NSW have called for waste levy to soften the blow of fuel price increases. More than 60 Councils from across NSW have issued a call for the NSW…

  • Lismore four years on

    Lismore four years on

    Four years on: How Lismore is building back and setting a national benchmark. When the 2022 flood inundated Lismore, it was not simply another extreme weather event. It became Australia’s…