Skills eFlash #120

Date: 10-Aug-2023

In this edition: Annual Forum 2023 | Water Industry Snapshot Report 2022| qldwater partners with the RSL in the search for talent | LGAQ – $3m to help rural and remote councils boost local workforce | and much more!

1. qldwater Annual Forum - Register Now!

Planning is progressing well for the Annual Forum to be held in Toowoomba from Tuesday, 5 September to Thursday, 7 September 2023.

Tuesday 5 September
Hop on the bus to view the impressive new pump station at Perseverance Dam (lots of steps so not for the faint-hearted!) and a visit to the Wetalla Water Reclamation Facility which includes a BNR STP, Advanced WTP and Biogas generation facility.
Wednesday 6 September
Learn more about the history of the Queensland Water Directorate and its key programs, including a panel session with past Young Operator of the Year and Operator of the Year Award (Civil/Allrounder) winners.
The afternoon will include a session on the award-winning Water Industry Worker program and how it can be supercharged through the QWRAP program.
Thursday 7 September
In partnership with the Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water, we will host a session on the Queensland Government’s Statewide Risk Assessment Project. This work will help shape Queensland’s involvement in the renewed National Water Initiative and the Federal Funding made available as part of the re-invigoration of the National Water Commission.
Other speakers include Jaek Passier from Toowoomba Regional Council on Water Business Innovation and the Pathway to Net Zero through the $1.5 Billion Pumped Hydro Project; Scott Mason, Central Queensland QWRAP Coordinator on a vision for a QWRAP Alliance to facilitate water industry reform and David Wiskar on Climate Change and its impact on water security across Queensland.

2. Water Industry Snapshot Report 2022

Since 2010, the Queensland Water Directorate (qldwater) has produced biennial Workforce Composition Snapshot Reports to track trends in skills and training, using data gathered from a representative sample of Queensland urban water service providers and a range of other sources.

The 2022 Snapshot Report is the seventh iteration of the Queensland Urban Water Industry Workforce Composition Snapshot Report. While responding organisations have differed for each reporting period and there may be variability in some results, the sample has consistently maintained a good cross-section of responding utilities of different sizes and geographic variation.

There are currently no national studies which attempt to capture this information, and feedback from industry and government stakeholders has been very positive since the process commenced. While limited in scope, this work provides important information to support broad industry workforce planning and investment in workforce development.

qldwater, through the Water Skills Partnership, intends to continue to improve and publish the report on a biennial basis. Data gathered for this report was collated in late 2022, with the report drafted and issued in 2023, which marks qldwater’s 20th anniversary.

The latest report, including a snapshot of key workforce indicators, can be downloaded here.

3. qldwater partners with the RSL Queensland in the search for talent

The RSL Employment Program, partners with employers across Australia to assist ex-serving and partners of current and ex-serving Defence members in making connections and ultimately finding meaningful employment.

qldwater members will be able to advertise positions vacant on the RSL Employment Program Board, raising the visibility of roles to cohorts who have amazing skill sets, often having connection to regional areas and ethics aligned with the elements of service to community that our member organisations already deliver around.

There is no charge for advertising roles here and, more importantly, the RSL will also seek to place and match individuals, again without cost or obligation to the employer. The Program screens and aligns its talent to the roles but is not driven by the KPIs of an employment agency. It merely exists to place the right people in the right roles for the benefit of both employer and candidate.

Hopefully it will start conversations, with a talent pool that may not have previously been explored, or under explored by our sector. We invite all members to send any role currently advertised to the usual email address of skills@qldwater.com.au.

A simple copy and paste of the URL where the role is currently advertised will be all that’s needed, containing enough information in the advert or PD to describe the position and what the role entails.

The only obligation is to provide feedback to the RSL (if requested) once a candidate is proposed and/or interviewed. This helps RSL understand whether they are aligning the correct candidates to opportunities and improve the process.

We look forward to receiving your adverts and creating some success stories!

4. Workplace Health and Safety QLD Events

October is Safe Work Month and WHS professionals and business leaders are invited to gather at the Work Well Regional Information Sessions to learn, connect and share ideas with other industry professionals. These FREE sessions will explore:

Managing the risk of psychosocial hazards at work
Managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in construction and manufacturing of construction elements Code of Practice 2022
Powerline safety - look up and live.

Follow this link to find the event closest to you.

Can’t make it to an in-person event? The Work Well Speaker Series is a FREE online speaker series with six events held throughout October. Each session will provide you with practical advice to immediately start improving health and safety and return to work outcomes in your workplace.

Hear from industry leading experts who will be discussing:

Controlling noise in the workplace
The 3M's: meaningful, manageable, manual tasks - managing the risks of musculoskeletal disorders through a work design lens
Promoting workplace safety for young employees
How to unlock the health and safety representative (HSR)
Good work design – theory and solutions to support injury prevention and management
Developing evidence-based and practical solutions for preventing harm in the workplace

View the speakers and register here.

5. Digital Skills Survey - have your say

Business Chamber Queensland is inviting small businesses to participate in a survey designed to validate and build upon the findings around the digital skills for the Queensland business community.

The survey is informed by the findings from the recent Jobs Queensland literature review. Survey results will guide future support for Queensland businesses on digital skills and cybersecurity usage.

You can read a summary of the report here and take part in the survey by Friday 11 August 2023.

6. Consultation on QLD VET Strategy – a reminder!

Have you used vocational training to get a job, train your staff or help someone achieve their dream career?

The Queensland Government wants all Queenslanders – including employers, industry groups, training providers, schools, job seekers, students, apprentices and trainees - to have their say to inform the state's new vocational education and training (VET) strategy.

The new strategy will guide the government’s investment in training and skills to ensure it delivers the best outcomes for Queensland.

Forums will be held across the state, and a discussion paper and online survey are available for you here to have your say now. Over 6,000 participants have currently taken part.

Consultation closes Friday 18 August 2023.

7. Queensland Workforce Strategy providing practical support for employers

Queensland employers are able to access a range of workforce related support thanks to the Queensland Workforce Strategy 2022–2032.

Access a range of free short courses developed by TAFE Queensland that support businesses to recruit and retain employees. Topics include recruitment for small business, workforce management and becoming an employer of choice. Access the range of courses here.

Employers can also have one-on-one sessions with business mentors through the Mentoring for Growth programs to discuss options and ideas to solve workforce challenges or other business issues.

Other initiatives available assisting employers in attracting and retaining workers include the Diverse Queensland Workforce program to connect employers with local migrants, refugees and international students looking for work and the Back to Work program which provides eligible employers with a range of financial and non-financial support when employing and retaining an eligible jobseeker through the program.

Read more about all the support and programs available here.

8. $3 million to LGAQ to help rural and remote Councils boost local workforce

The Queensland Government announced $3 million funding over three years to the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) to deliver a new Rural and Remote Capacity Building Project.

The Rural and Remote Capacity Building Project will provide targeted training for staff at 24 councils identified by the LGAQ, to boost employees’ skills, meet local needs and retain workers in their communities.

The training will also be extended to small businesses or organisations providing support to Councils, and include accredited training, tickets, part qualifications, non-accredited training, and micro-credentials.

More information is available here.