People Development Program Plan

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People Development Program Plan

What this Plan will achieve

Program 4, People Development, is an enabling program that focuses on the human elements needed to achieve identified industry outcomes.

During the period of this plan, 2013-2015, the FRDC will continue to invest in three people development program themes: Leadership development, Workforce development and Innovation skills focusing on how these themes support industry’s RD&E priorities. As a result, in 2015, the FRDC’s stakeholders will see the following outcomes from FRDC’s people development program:

1. People development investments are clearly supporting industry’s RD&E priorities. This will entail:

 Identifying and embedding human capability needs in the development and evaluation of RD&E applications

 Targeting the suite of People Development Awards to industry priorities

 Transfer the promotion, selection and management of some development awards to appropriate groups

2. The professionalism of the industry is raised. This will entail:

 Investment in capacity to influence the perceptions that the community holds about the industry, including training in leadership, media engagement and good governance.

 Investment in training to improve the environmental credentials of the industry

3. Innovation is nurtured - to find better ways of doing things. This will entail:

 Development of an FRDC innovation policy, aligned with its RD&E investment framework

 Investment in training that is focused on industry challenges, and market-oriented changes to increase productivity and improve competitiveness

 Investment in scholarship programs that nurture the next generation of innovators and researchers

4. There is improved capacity to put innovation to work – to adapt and adopt knowledge, skills and technologies. This will entail:

 Improving capacity of RD&E teams to support extension and adoption of R&D outputs

 Providing opportunities for people to engage with new knowledge and build networks

 Thinking creatively about how conferences and events that the FRDC sponsors can optimise extension and adoption opportunities

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Introduction

Program 4, People Development, is an enabling program that focuses on the human elements needed to deliver on the priorities of FRDC’s 3 key programs of Environment, Industry and Communities, and to support the Extension program. While the goal is to integrate with the FRDC’s other planning structures, the evidence shows that at this time a dedicated people development program is needed. At FRAB level, people development is frequently relegated to a lower priority than other issues when allocating resources, while at the same time is consistently reported to be a high priority. This dedicated program approach is consistent with findings from other RDC’s, and supports the Government’s capacity building priorities.

The FRDC’s Research, Development and Extension (RD&E) Plan 2010-2015, and annual operational plans are the primary documents guiding investment in RD&E. This document provides specific program information, detailing the priorities for investment in people development to 2015, and the key activities to be undertaken.

This plan covers the period July 2013-June 2015. In 2015, a new FRDC RD&E Plan will be due. It is the intent that the People Development Program will be integrated with the planning and approvals process for the development of the new plan.

Background

In 2005, the FRDC board identified that current and historical stakeholder-initiated applications and FRDC-initiated activities were not adequate in terms of overall number and focus to address the people development challenges identified in the R&D Plan. In 2006, total investment in targeted people development projects was less than 5% of research and development expenditure.

In response, the FRDC commissioned a review of the FRDC’s people development strategies. The review found that while, the FRDC had demonstrated a longstanding commitment to investing in people development to support the fishing industry, investment had lacked a strategic focus. In response to the recommendations, in June 2007 the FRDC recruited a projects manager to develop and implement a focused people development program. A five year plan 2008-2013 was approved by the board in February 2008.

The People development program has differed from other FRDC programs in that it is internally managed, and operates a discrete budget through an annual operational plan as well as investing through normal competitive funding processes. The rationale behind this approach was to overcome market failure where FRABs and other investment advisors ranked people development applications as low priority; but at the same time consistently stated that people development was of the highest priority. Over the past five years, the Program has been guided by an advisory group and managed by an employee of FRDC. Its annual investment has been around $2 million, or approximately 10% of RD&E expenditure.

During 2012-13 Program outputs and methods of management were evaluated. As part of this review a stakeholder survey was undertaken. The reviewer’s report1 recommended that the FRDC’s People Development Program continue over the next five years as a distinct RD&E program with an appropriate budget that can invest in targeted activities that will significantly advance people development across the industry and/or leverage increased value from people development investments made by other FRDC programs and sub-programs.

1 _{The report by Inovact Consulting, FRDC project 2012/406: “People development program: Review and future}

direction” can be accessed from the Final reports search site: http://frdc.com.au/research/final-reports/Pages/default.aspx

This new plan adopts many of the recommendations of the review, and ensures that the FRDC continues to strive to take a more strategic and integrated approach to investing in people development.

Achievements 2008-2013

Over the life of the previous 5 year plan, the program manager and People Development Advisory Group (PDAG) oversaw a wide range of people development initiatives, and annual investment as a proportion of RD&E roughly doubled. The 2012 stakeholder review found that the Program has performed well to develop the people needs of the seafood industry and is well respected by its stakeholders. There is a broad awareness of the Program, with the majority of stakeholders reporting that they are satisfied with the Program. Furthermore, the Program’s people development investments are well aligned to those investment priorities reported by stakeholders. A selection of program initiatives is highlighted below.

Select activities addressing theme 11: Leadership development

 FRDC funds selected high level and industry-wide leadership development including the National seafood Industry Leadership Program (NSILP), Australian Rural Leadership

Program (ARLP), annual Nuffield Farming Scholarship, Governance Scholarship for Women, Emerging Leader Governance Scholarship, Indigenous Development Scholarship, and

WINSC Professional Development Scholarship. A number of industry boards have improved their governance through one-day whole of board training with the AICD.

 Sixty industry representatives have received high level training in communications, interview techniques and media relations. This training has built capability for a stronger voice for the Australian seafood industry; more confident relationship development between industry and stakeholders; and improved engagement with the general public.

 A ‘first-level’ leadership program that can be implemented at local and regional levels has been developed and piloted. (FRDC project 2009/322 ‘People Development Program: Building seafood industry representational capacity’)

Key activities addressing theme 12: Workforce development

 Research has been undertaken to assess the quality of the current data sets on employment and education and training in the Australian fishing industry. The project, undertaken by ABARES provides a set of recommendations of the key workforce data sets that need to be further developed, collected and compiled to satisfy stakeholder needs.

 FRDC is investing in schools’ programs to build awareness about the seafood industry and the range of employment opportunities available. The Primary Industries Centre for Science education, Primary Industries Education Foundation, and the Seafood Industry Partnerships in Schools are key programs.

 Together with DAFF, the FRDC established a training scheme to improve knowledge and skills in aquatic animal health management. A large number of business operators,

veterinarians, pathologists, diagnosticians, researchers, educators, and other persons engaged in aspects of aquatic health management have benefited from this training.

Key activities addressing theme 13: Innovation skills

 An important component of the Program has been an annual round of Development Awards. Several of these Awards assist individuals to build networks, and acquire new skills and knowledge through international exchanges and support for visiting experts.

 The Program is encouraging innovation and renewal within industry bodies. How to

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apply those skills, is critical to the future of the seafood industry. These capabilities are being developed through project 2011/410 ‘People development program: A program to enhance membership participation, association health, innovation and leadership succession in the Australian fishing industry (Short title - Healthy Industry Associations and Succession)’

 The FRDC provides scholarships to the Nuffield Australia Farming Scholarship program. The Nuffield program provides Australian primary producers with the opportunity to study

technologies and production practices throughout the world and to become part of a global network of innovative producers.

Stakeholders’ advice

The 2012 review of the Program highlighted the following areas to focus on over the next 3 to 5 years:

1. Leadership; these priorities included both supporting existing leaders as well as developing new leaders.

2. Communication and community engagement including; community education, community engagement, and enhancing community perception of the industry.

3. Innovation and the adaptive capacity of the industry, including its ability to adapt to changing circumstances,

4. Research and extension of knowledge transfer, and the ability to implement research outcomes in to industry development.

The review also noted that stakeholders considered that workforce development is a priority, including addressing current industry shortages, retention and development of current employees, developing a more attractive career path, as well as developing a clear career path for younger people. These comments indicate that FRDC needs to make sure its stakeholders understand the respective roles of FRDC and organisations such as Agrifood Skills Australia, and where appropriate, FRDC will partner with such organisations to address this need.

Collaboration

Professionalism, leadership and innovation are not built by one organisation, and are ongoing goals. The FRDC will continue to build on the achievements of the people development program, and work with stakeholders and other organisations to identify creative strategies to develop the people to whom the industry will entrust its future.

Strategic relationships must be built with those who can assist industry and FRDC to identify the people development elements of a proposal or to partner in cross sectoral collaborations.

Given the Seafood CRC’s achievements through its education and training program, the FRDC will need to consider a seamless transfer of successful activities currently being delivered by the CRC.

Investment

FRDC aims to invest 10% of total RD&E expenditure in its people development program. Investment will be delivered through a portfolio of stakeholder-initiated projects through the FRDC’s funding rounds, and FRDC-initiated activities including a suite of Development Awards, as per the current RD&E Investment Framework Policy.

Management

Over the past five years PDAG members have provided high level advice to the FRDC on the strategic direction of the program, and been integral to the success of those activities highlighted

above. While the survey response shows that governance arrangements involving an in-house

program manager and external Advisory Committee worked well, there is now a strong foundation to introduce some strategic changes.

This will include outsourcing some elements of program management were appropriate to enable the FRDC’s program manager to take a more strategic role, and potentially to achieve better outcomes through improved promotion of opportunities, and guidance to recipients form those better placed to do so.

Given the objective to better align investment with the FRDC’s key research programs, the people development program manager will work with the priorities identified by the FRABS and other planning structures to understand and include the human capacity elements of these where they exist, or any required allied RD&E that is recommended to bring to fruition the outcomes sought, rather than identifying separate RD&E priority areas.

An informal network of education, training and capacity building experts will be accessed to provide additional advice as required. Potentially, this network can be a means to identify the appropriate RD&E partners to deliver people development project, or elements of projects.

Board reporting

Significant information will be provided to the FRDC Board through the Executive Director’s reports, at Board meetings, and in November 2013 the Program manager will submit a 2014-15 operational plan (AOP) for consideration. The AOP will include:

 Review of progress

 Recommendations for amendments to the strategic plan

 Summary of activities and major outputs from the previous year

 Proposed projects, activities and budget for the coming year

Communication and extension

This Plan and people development project outputs will be promoted to stakeholders via:

 distribution to all FRABS and subprograms

 secretariat attendance at meetings

 FRDC annual planning workshop

 conference presentations

 final reports and non-technical summaries

 people development email newsletter

 FISH

 FRDC website, FRDC people development webpage,

 Facebook

Indicators of achievement

In achieving the goals of this Plan, in 2015 the following indicators will demonstrate success:

 Positive feedback from FRDC board, FRABS and other advisory bodies on quality of applications

 Investment allocated to people development themes, as a proportion of RD&E investment, remains consistent with the goal of 10%, or increases, without a separate advisory group

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active interest in encouraging individuals to apply to undertake activities that will benefit not only the individual, but the sector/industry

 Recipient reports demonstrate that individual outcomes are being met and knowledge/skills gained are extended to others

 There is national collaboration in planning and delivery of environmental responsibility training

 Industry is taking up opportunities for training that will support skills and opportunities for innovation

 A post graduate scholarship program is developed that focuses on building capability in key and emerging research needs

 Applications, progress reports and beneficiary reports demonstrate that FRDC-endorsed extension principles are being implemented

 Beneficiaries of international travel and visiting expert bursaries are undertaking activities that address industry challenges or opportunities and are likely to lead to ongoing

collaborations

 Conference committees are encouraging the engagement of the next generation of business, industry and research leaders