TAFE NSW and Country Energy have embarked on the Powerful Skills Project, a major training initiative to support the professional development and skills recognition of more than 2,000 Country Energy employees during the next two years. This major initiative was brokered by the TAFE NSW National Business Office as part of its large client strategy.
The scale of the project is a challenge, with Country Energy's employees spread across nine regions covering most of the state. Marie Persson, Deputy Director-General, TAFE and Community Education, said a TAFE NSW consultant would be working full-time with Country Energy to coordinate training. Ten TAFE NSW campuses including Port Macquarie, Bathurst, Broken Hill, Dubbo, Grafton, Leeton, Lismore, Tamworth, Queanbeyan and Wagga Wagga are involved.
Lara Blackwell, TAFE NSW/Country Energy Training Partnership Coordinator, is the consultant helping to deliver the training. She said the project had been designed to assist Country Energy face the challenges of projected skill shortages across the energy industry.
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Ms Blackwell said the Powerful Skills Project aimed to improve employee capability and move beyond the existing salary progression model based on years of service, to a model that identified associated career path opportunities based on competencies and qualifications.
Training will be delivered in a range of flexible formats for Country Energy employees in the utility’s Customer Contact Centres, Zone Substation Electrical Technician roles and team leader positions.
Country Energy has been implementing a competency framework for more than a year and is rolling it out across all nine regions. The initiative builds on the work undertaken to date and will continue the commitment to employee development that ensures all employees have the latest information and technology required to provide excellent customer service.
Terri Benson, Group General Manager Corporate Services, Country Energy, said that the identification of a service provider with the flexibility, resources and knowledge of the diverse range of workplace skills required within the company was critical to the success of the Powerful Skills Project.
‘We are committed to employee development and progression and have always looked to provide Country Energy employees with ongoing training and education programs to keep them up-to-date with the latest information and technology required to provide excellent service to our energy customers,’ Ms Benson said.
‘Partnering with TAFE NSW has provided synergies with an organisation with a similar state-wide footprint, the capability to meet our diverse range of skill requirements, the flexibility of training via a range of mediums, and the benefit of trainers coming to us.
‘The flow-on benefits of this partnership will include projected reductions in indirect training costs, increased training service delivery flexibility, and increased operational efficiency.’
The new agreement builds on past successes of TAFE NSW/Country Energy partnerships which include the delivery of the Diploma of Electrical Engineering for Country Energy’s Trainee Technical Officer program. Involving three TAFE NSW Institutes, the training project began in 2006, and is set to finish in 2009.
