B8. Human Resources Management

Ensuring a Highly Capable Workforce

The ACTPS Education and Training Directorate (Teaching Staff) Enterprise Agreement 2014-2018 (the Agreement) sets the platform for the ongoing development of a highly capable teaching workforce. Attraction, development and retention of excellent teachers are central to leading the nation in achieving high quality outcomes for all students.

The Directorate is committed to ensuring students in ACT public schools are taught by excellent teachers in every classroom in every school. The Agreement creates the enabling environment where striving for excellence by teachers and school leaders is recognised and celebrated.

In 2016-17, the Directorate significantly progressed implementation of the following six major work streams arising from the Agreement.

Sustainable Reduction of Teacher Workload

A project team was established to work closely with schools to develop processes which assist teachers to assess and manage workload. Articulating workload theory, defining a teacher’s core role and embedding active Workload Committees and School Workload Reduction Plans in each school have been key aspects of the project team’s work.

The core role of teachers is defined as:

• instruction of students;
• supervision of students;
• curriculum planning;
• assessment of student learning;
• reporting of student learning;
• professional learning; and
• attendance at meetings, parent/teacher interviews and activities to enrich the educational experiences of students, in accordance with the Section Q Guidelines: Addressing teacher workload.

Through a reduction in time spent on non-core activities, teachers can invest quality time on their core teaching role and professional learning. Great teachers and great teaching practice are highly valued and will ultimately lead to improved student outcomes.

Principal Career Structure

Development work on a revised principal career structure was completed in late 2016. This work was undertaken with the assistance of expert consultants, oversighted by a small principal reference group. The outcome of this work was the identification of a proposed model for a revised structure.

In late 2016 and early 2017, the Directorate undertook a series of ‘test consultations’ on the proposed model with the Australian Education Union (AEU), established principal advisory groups and the Directorate’s Senior Executive Team (SET). These consultations are informing the ongoing development of role definitions, capability requirements and business need.

The Directorate will continue to work with the AEU to achieve agreement on the principal career structure.

Alignment of Teacher Performance And Development Processes With National Standards

The pilot implementation of an updated Performance and Development Process commenced in Term 1 2017, facilitating broader consultation and an ongoing consultative and collaborative approach to ensure schools have maximum input into the framework preceding anticipated implementation in 2018. The refreshed school leader and teacher performance and development process aligned with the Australian Professional Standard for Principals, Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and the ACTPS Performance and Capability Framework.

Recognition and Reward For Highly Accomplished And Lead Teachers

Teachers who achieve certification at the higher Australian Standards of Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher level were recognised and financially rewarded with an additional salary increment or equivalent one-year allowance. In 2016, there were 13 successful applicants in the ACT of which 11 teachers from the Directorate attained certification at the Highly Accomplished and Lead career stages, an increase from nine in 2015.

School Leader C Career Development

Transitional arrangements have been implemented to move from separate designations of Executive Teacher (SLC), under a variety of job titles and conditions, to a holistic Executive Teacher (SLC) position. This ensures that SLCs have opportunities to develop the full range of school leadership capabilities and to meet the learning and wellbeing needs of students.

Inclusion and Diversity Employment Strategies

The Directorate facilitates a range of inclusion and diversity focused employment strategies.

Reconciliation Action Plan

Reconciliation – Keeping It Alive 2016-2018 is the Education Support Office Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The purpose of the RAP is to engage all employees in the creation of an organisational culture enriched by the diversity and knowledge of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The RAP uses a strengths based approach through our shared and common values to ask staff ‘What is your next most powerful step?’ towards reconciliation.

The RAP delivers outcomes through three empowering focus areas:

• building relationships by engaging locally;
• creating respect by taking individual accountability; and
• aligning opportunities with organisational growth.

Strategies For People With Disability

The Directorate provides a number of employment pathways for People with Disability including: Disability Traineeships; Inclusion Graduates Pathways; and weekly work experience opportunities for People with Disability at the Six Degrees Café and Yarralumla Nursery.

The Directorate ensures that all staff are supported through the whole of government reasonable adjustment policy and appropriate workplace modification, underpinned by relevant medical advice and/or workplace assessments.

Learning And Development

The Australian Charter for the Professional Learning for Teachers and School Leaders (the Charter):

affirms the importance of learning in improving the professional knowledge, practice and engagement of all teachers and school leaders to achieve improvement in student outcomes;

• articulates the expectation that all teachers and school leaders actively engage in professional learning throughout their career; and
• describes the characteristics of a high quality professional learning culture and of effective professional learning, to assist teachers, school leaders and those who support them to get the most from the professional learning.

The Directorate promotes a culture where teachers and school leaders expect and are expected to be active in professional learning. Professional learning activities are offered ensuring:

• they are of significant intellectual or professional content and must deal primarily with matters related to the practice and content of teaching;
• they address a teacher’s identified professional development and career stage requirements;
• specifically address individual, team, school, system or other priorities; and
• assist teachers to respond to student learning needs.

Annual Professional Learning Program

In 2017 all schools developed an Annual Professional Learning Program to support all teachers to continually develop their professional knowledge, practice and engagement. The requirements of the Annual Professional Learning Program included two days professional learning during the stand down period, along with engagement with regular Professional Learning opportunities during the school’s required hours of attendance during term time. Each school’s program was designed and implemented in accordance with the Government’s professional learning framework described within the ACT Teacher Quality Institute Act 2010.

Annual Professional Learning Program Guidelines and Planning documents have been developed and promulgated to support a high quality program of professional learning in every school. The Annual Professional Learning Program will align with the core role of teachers to build quality teaching and support teachers to maintain their registration with the ACT Teacher Quality Institute.

The Annual Professional Learning Program provides teachers with ongoing opportunities to come together with colleagues to engage in professional conversations and investigations of teaching practice and student learning. With the support of colleagues, each teacher can focus attention on addressing educational issues directly relevant to their students’ learning needs in the classroom and develop their own teaching practice to meet these needs.

Aspiring Leaders Program

The Aspiring Leaders Program was developed in response to a need to build leadership capabilities across the system. The Program is designed to enhance the contemporary leadership knowledge, skills and attributes that contribute to student, school and system improvement. The Program continues to form a valuable part of the Directorate’s strategies, investing in teachers and school leaders. Cohort 2 of the Program was launched during 2016-17 and will continue for a period of 12 months, concluding in 2018.

In April 2017, 30 participants (School Leader Bs, Cs and Classroom Teachers) and 23 mentors (School Leader As and Bs) were selected to take part in Cohort 2 of the Program. This cohort is being delivered by the University of Melbourne’s Graduate School of Education, and includes:

• a mentor training program (pairing participants with identified high-performing system leaders to provide targeted and personalised leadership support);
• five face-to-face workshops with leading academics;
• a research critical partnership for in-situ research projects; and
• personalised reflective learning through the use of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership 360° Reflection Tool.

Whole of Government Initiatives

The ACT Public Service Graduate Program is a whole of government entry level program designed to recruit highly skilled and talented graduates to support the ongoing renewal of the ACT Public Service (ACTPS). The Directorate welcomed three graduates in 2017. The 10 month program commenced in February 2017 and will conclude in December 2017.

In addition to recruiting graduates through the ACTPS Graduate Program, the Directorate welcomed two Inclusion Trainees (trainees identifying as having a disability) and two Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Trainees, through the ACTPS Inclusion Employment Pathways Initiative. The traineeships are based over a 12 month period and at the successful completion trainees will be placed within a permanent School Assistant 3 position within the Directorate.

Furthermore, the Directorate supported learning and development through facilitating staff access to the Whole of Government Study Assistance Program and ACTPS Training Calendar. In 2016-17, 40 staff received a total of $23,967 in financial assistance as part of the Directorate’s Study Assistance Program, and $32,652 was spent on support training for 86 participants through the ACTPS Training Calendar.

Induction

In 2016-17, 315 new staff joined the ACT Education Directorate.

A well-prepared and comprehensive welcome and workplace orientation helped staff quickly understand the expectations and responsibilities of their new role, and where to source support if required. The Directorate hosted a number of events and information sessions designed to anchor new staff in the strategic direction of the organisation and provide guidance on organisational requirements. Mentor and supervisor introductions were also made during induction.

During the early stages of employment, and in particular the first month, new staff receive additional support in order to establish themselves in their role and continue to build capability. This support consists of workplace safety and culture training; teacher supervisory panels to assist with teacher registration and probation; and collaborative planning opportunities to model and engage in high performance practices.

To assist both new starters and their supervisors the Directorate has developed a number of supporting documents and resources that can be found on the Directorate’s Intranet.

An induction program specific to school leaders is under development and will be implemented in 2017-18.

Workforce Forecasting

The Directorate has recently established a small workforce strategy team to progress a strategic workforce plan. The scope of works will go well beyond forecasting to include potential workforce models, capability development and a strong focus on culture.

Attraction Retention Incentives (ARINS), Special Employment Arrangements (SEAS) and Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAS)

Attraction and Retention Incentives (ARINS) and Special Employment Arrangements (SEAs) are made in accordance with the provision of the relevant enterprise agreement. They are part of the Directorate’s attraction and retention strategy, enabling the Directorate to deliver on strategic goals through the attraction and retention of officers with specialist skills and qualifications.

Table B8.1: ARIns, SEAs, and AWAs, classifications and remuneration of officers

The increase in ARIns in 2016-17, compared with 2015-16, relates to the introduction of new industrial and employment arrangements for school assistants working under the Health Access At School (HAAS) Program. Specifically, in agreement with the relevant unions, the Australian Education Union and the Community and Public Sector Union, a new HAAS Allowance has been introduced.

At present there is no authority under the Administrative and Related Classifications Enterprise Agreement (EA) 2013-2017 to facilitate the payment of this Allowance. Therefore, the mechanism used to facilitate authority for the payment of the HAAS Allowance was a Group ARIn. The Group ARIn for the HAAS Allowance formally commenced from 25 July 2017 (date of approval by the delegate of the Head of Service). However, payment of the HAAS Allowance for eligible persons was back dated to 2 May 2016.

Provision for the HAAS Allowance will be included in the next EA, currently being negotiated. The HAAS Group ARIn will cease to operate on commencement of the new EA.

Workforce Profile

The number of staff employed in the Directorate increased from 6,316 at 29 June 2016 to 6,578 at 29 June 2017. The majority of the additional staff were employed in schools to meet increases in student enrolments.

The ratio of female to male staff (3.4:1) has remained consistent for the last five financial years. The average length of service remained steady at 9.0 years during 2016-17. The Directorate currently employs 99 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff members, representing 1.5 percent of the Directorate’s total headcount. This is an increase of eight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff members from the 2015-16 financial year.

Table B8.2 outlines full-time equivalent (FTE) and head count of staff by gender. The information is provided by Shared Services and is reported for the pay period of 29 June 2017. The statistics exclude staff not paid by the ACT Public Service and people on leave without pay. Staff members who separated from the ACT Public Service prior to 29 June 2017 but received a payment have been included.

Table B8.2: FTE and headcount by gender

Tables B8.3 to B8.9 break this data down further representing classification, employment category, FTE and headcount by Division/Branch, age, length of service, diversity and separation.

Table B8.3: Headcount by classification and gender

¹ Breakdown by employment category not for publication due to privacy reasons.

Table B8.4: Headcount By Employment Category And Gender

¹ Breakdown by employment category not for publication due to privacy reasons.

Table B8.5: FTE and headcount by Division/Branch

Table B8.6: Headcount by age group and gender

¹ Breakdown by age group not for publication due to privacy reasons.

Table B8.7: Average years of service by gender

¹ Not for publication due to privacy reasons.

Table B8.8: Headcount by diversity group¹

¹ Employees may identify with more than one of the diversity groups.

Table B8.9: Recruitment and separation rates by classification group

For further information contact:
Director
People and Performance
(02) 6205 9202

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