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Employee Training & Development in NSW Awards & Enterprise Agreements

Introduction
Giving training a priority
Creating a learning environment

Introduction

Training is a fundamental investment in an enterprise's long term success, as it delivers improvements in productivity, efficiency and profitability. Employers benefit from investing in training by developing a highly skilled and flexible workforce. Employees benefit from skill development, leading to improved career opportunities.

Many NSW enterprise awards and enterprise agreements now include detailed programs in employee education, training, skill maintenance and development. In some cases, training committees are established to allow employees greater input into developing and implementing formal training programs.

These case studies show how training programs feature in two NSW enterprise agreements.

Giving training a priority

A manufacturing company has created an enterprise agreement which gives a clear priority to training in consultation with its workforce.

Each employee's progress in achieving improvements in key performance indicators is measured. These results are then related to the company's training program.

The company's training priorities aim to develop a highly skilled and efficient workforce and to provide a career path for all employees which leads to greater job satisfaction.

The training priorities focus on skill development, continuous improvement, customer service and occupational health and safety.

The training program also addresses the basic literacy and numeracy needs of the company's employees.

The company actively encourages employees to undertake training and retraining. It pays for all costs associated with internal, external and on-the-job training. It also allows employees time off without loss of pay during normal rostered hours of work.

Finally, the agreement outlines the employees commitment to participate in the introduction and development of a 'Training and Productivity Program'.

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Creating a learning environment

An enterprise agreement covering a local government organisation has created a training and development program which aims to develop a learning environment, together with improving the quality of working life for all employees.

The agreement objectives include providing greater employment security through improved quality of service, enhancing productivity and developing new services to meet customer needs.

Priority is given to developing a learning organisation based upon teamwork, flexibility, competency in skills and with opportunities for further development.

Performance reviews are used as an ongoing working process to develop staff skills and knowledge on the job and to schedule staff training programs.

The agreement ensures equal access to training by all employees and includes a commitment to Equal Employment Opportunity. A flexible approach to the scheduling of structured training programs is consistent with this commitment.

The agreement also provides for the reimbursement of reasonable child care expenses for employees with family responsibilities who would be unable to attend training without such arrangements.