Leo Jensen

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• Leo Jensen
• MPIA CPP, MLGMA, AIMM

LOCAL GOVERNMENT The Critical Link? LGMA
Queensland Annual Conference October 2008
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• Thank you for the opportunity to present
• PIA National Inquiry
• National Skills Shortage Strategy
• Qld Local Government Careers Taskforce
• Planner Attraction Retention Survey
• PIA Response
• LGAQ Diploma
• My Team

• The Disclaimer Stuff
• The opinions expressed today are my personal
  opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of
  the Local Government Careers Taskforce, nor my
  employer being the Moreton Bay Regional Council.

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• 2003/04 PIA conducted a National Inquiry into
  Planning Education and Employment.
• Testing of anecdotal evidence
• Dire shortage of planning professionals
• Planning graduates was in decline
• Skills did not match workplace needs

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• Wake Up Call for Local Government
• Local government planners were under particular
  pressure
• High stress levels low morale
• Unmanageable workloads
• Being understaffed
• Lack of awareness of the seriousness of the issue
• Ethical dilemmas concerns about quality being
  compromised
• But equally there was strong support
• From employers wanting to improve
• For mentoring/supporting professionals and young
  planners

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• The statistics remain remarkably similar
• 12,000 planners
• 47 in Local Government
• Vacancy rates of 13 19
• Demand - increase by 28 (over 5 10 years)
• 46 of profession under 35 years of age
• 1 in 4 women work part-time / 1 in 10 men
• 5 female professionals over 35 have left
  planning
• 40 employers have engaged planning assistants
• Salaries growing faster than CPI

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• Most critical shortage in 2004 unchanged
• Critical shortage exists in most areas - major
  cities and regional areas
• Longer term shortages exist in rural and regional
  - difficulty in attracting/retaining staff
• Sea-change communities volumes of work
• Key problem of professional leakage to
  alternative roles (particularly women)

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• Volume of work new /or complex legislation
• Skills transferable
• Rural/regional unattractive
• Demand has pushed salaries beyond local
  governments reach
• Overseas demand
• Women leaving for work choice / family reasons
• Unacceptable work environments
• Conflict
• Ethics
• Workload
• lack of flexibility, work/life balance

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Can Local Government afford this type of
publicity? Negative Image Reputation (toxic!)
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• Four Strategic Objectives
• Local Government Career Pathways
• Leadership in Local Government
• Local Government Employer of Choice
• Image Building
• Five Key Initiatives
• Local Government Centre for Excellence
• New Ways of Working
• Training Professional Development
• Attracting New Workers
• Promoting Local Government Employer of Choice

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• LGSFS commenced Feb 2007
• DETA Qld Skills Plan
• Skill Shortages in Key Professional Areas
• Mid 2006 already started via fmr DLGPSR
• LG Career Taskforce estd Feb 2007

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• Priority Areas
• Town planning
• Building certification
• Engineering
• Environmental health
• Stakeholders
• Local ATSI councils
• Peak Professional Associations
• Vocational Educational Training
• Higher Education Sector
• Government Agencies
• Schools

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• LG Skills Shortage Survey HR Managers (August
  2007)
• Queensland Planners Attraction Retention
  Survey (August 2007)
• Environmental Health Practitioners Attraction
  Retention Survey (August 2008)
• Building Certifiers completed October 2008
• Engineers linking in with other work

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• 60 Councils shortage of DA planners
• 49 Councils shortage of Strategic planners
• Skills shortage in Qld worse than 2004
• unprecedented growth,
• popn migration no. of applications

55 respondents in LG 28.6 Private Sector 50/50
Male Female Ratio 44 DA 12.7 Strategic 33
Combination
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• So what can local government do?
• Planners nationally tell us that what they want
  in the workplace is
• Reduced workplace conflict and toxicity
• Respect for their professional opinions and
  advice
• Flexible conditions / part time work
  opportunities
• Stronger internal support induction, team
  building, mentoring, training
• Identifiable career paths / encouragement to
  progress in LG
• Confidential help with ethical issues

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• Active support for training development
• Formal Codes of Conduct
• Clearer planning schemes / strategy / policies
• Recognition of professional status senior job
  descriptions requiring CPP status
• DAF leading practice
• eDA
• Avoiding blame

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• 21 Recommendations
• Professional development programs
• Design jobs for variety of work
• DA / Strategic / State / Local
• Retention Strategy targeting planners 21-29 yo
• Stress management program workload and burnout
• Flexibility, part-time etc being responsive

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• Advocating for e-DA including additional
  commonwealth/state
• Encouraging elected representative training
• Promoting Codes of Conduct
• Providing ethics advice (Ethi-call St James
  Ethics Centre)
• Supporting de-politicising of decision making
  through panels (SA)
• The professional competencies and standing of
  planners (CPP)
• Raising profile with government, the community
  and within industry
• National Education committee

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Young Planners via LG Careers Taskforce -
Planning is Awesome DVD Recently launched
Mentoring Program for Planners in
Queensland Promotion of Ethi-Call - offered to
all PIA members Certified Practising Planners
(CPP) Education Awards
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• 15 Courses delivered since 2007
• 142 graduates
• 70 female/30 male
• Councils from all over Queensland.
• Demand from private sector

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• Planning Environment Unit
• Great People, Great Team, Great Culture
• 60 staff in Administration, DA, Strategic,
  Environmental Infrastructure Planning
• High workloads, no new positions, turnover low
• Need to diversify skills base to assist in the
  assessment areas.

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• Council committed to ongoing training
  professional development
• Investment in Staff and our future
• 8 staff completed the LGAQ Diploma course since
  2005
• Range of professional backgrounds, ages lets
  meet some of them!

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• Its all about people
• Its all about relationships
• Its all about respect
• Its all about empathy
• Its also about anticipation
• about being responsive
• about future proofing the workplace and our
  industry, and meeting stakeholder expectations

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• Last 8 years
• Steve Lundins FISH Principles
• Resource Analysis and Capacity
• Staff Lunches/Team Challenges
• more FISH
• Business Excellence Framework
• Self Awareness Programs Steve Griffith
  Leadership Development Program
• Team Development for whole Unit

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• Identified Training Budget wisely investing in
  staff
• Sabre Corporate Development
• www.SabreHQ.com
• Belbin Individual Team Profiling
• Team event over two days
• Communications
• Understanding how people tick
• Social, friendly and fear free environment
• Everyone has a say, and is listened to
• Finale The Big Picture

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• Flexibility as needs basis
• Job Share Arrangements in place
• Secondments with both State Private
• State Planning Department
• Large Private Planning Consultancy
• Cadetships study support
• Annual Staff Surveys
• 360 feedback
• Open honest conversations

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• Retained talented staff
• Quality Relationships
• Great Team Culture
• Open Conversations
• Loyalty
• Returns speak Volumes
• Low turnover
• Employee commitment engagement
• No Fear
• Family oriented
• Job Satisfaction - BIG time!

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• The secret to higher performance is through
  lifting employee engagement levels. The more
  engaged the worker, the more intellectually
  committed they are to the organisation
• Perspective - Financial Review, 2006

Source S. Jardine, 2006 Used with Permission
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• Branding
• As an industry we dont do it all that well, do
  we?
• Individually some great marketing Whats
  missing!

Advert courtesy of Brisbane City Council
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• Got to get Smarter
• Industry Summit on Skills Shortages
• Disconnect between HR Managers
• Trade secrets
• Unwillingness to share
• LG is competing with itself - improved sharing
• Recruitment - proactive and informed
• Centre for Excellence

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• Smart people pick organisations,
• not vice versa
• Understand your employees needs and build a
  culture to retain the best
• Are we as an industry doing this well?

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• Leaders are credible accessible
• Reward recognition for good performance _at_ all
  levels
• Communicate frequently open manner
• Deliver on promises to staff (ie Walk the Talk)
• Have HR policies that support organisational
  objectives rather than fads
• source - DEWR

Source S. Jardine, 2006 Used with Permission
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• The Challenge
• Industry of Choice
• An industry that competes for talent
• and consistently wins.
• It recruits, engages, and keeps the talent it
  needs to meet or exceed its changing business
  objectives

Adapted from Source S. Jardine, 2006 Used
with Permission
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• love em or lose em

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• Thank you
• Leo Jensen
• Member - Local Government Careers Taskforce
• Member National Skills Shortage Committee
  Steering Committee
• leo.jensen_at_moretonbay.qld.gov.au
• More information
• Planner Survey Results
• www.planning.org.au/qld
• LG Careers Taskforce Project Manager
• gabrielle_dorward_at_lgaq.asn.au