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Whether working directly with children and young people or in support of those who do, attracting the best people to our department, selecting the best candidates, deploying them where it matters most and investing in their development is critical to achieving our ambition.
Our Workforce Strategy outlines how we plan to do this.
Workforce Strategy vision
Our vision is to have a diverse and future ready workforce thriving in an evolving and dynamic environment.
When our workforce thrives, so do our children and young people.
Workforce Strategy vision explained
Our vision is to build and sustain a workforce that is inclusive, resilient, responsive, innovative and enabled to deliver high-quality public education and services. A workforce that fosters success for all learners today and into the future.
Our workforce is at the heart of public education creating the biggest impact for our children and young people. They are the people who lead public education and provide essential support in every community across º£½ÇÖ±²¥ Australia. They are the vital link with students, their families and communities cultivating partnerships that strengthen engagement, embrace cultures and lead to connected and supported learning opportunities. United in purpose, they bring their best each day to empower every student to thrive and realise their full potential.
We live in a rapidly changing world. Our communities are ever evolving, and technological advancements continuously reshape how we live, learn, work and connect with each other. Expectations, priorities and opportunities also evolve over time in line with the changing landscape. To lead in this dynamic landscape, our workforce must be equipped and empowered with the right supports and conditions to navigate, adapt and innovate.
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge that work undertaken to develop this Workforce Strategy took place mainly on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people. We acknowledge the Kaurna people as the custodians of the Adelaide Region and that their spiritual connection, cultural heritage and relationship with their Country is still as important to the living Kaurna people today. We also pay respects to the cultural authority of traditional owners from areas across º£½ÇÖ±²¥ Australia.
We acknowledge and thank Aboriginal staff who contributed their knowledge and expertise in developing this strategy. We are committed to ensuring the experiences, needs and aspirations of Aboriginal staff are heard and incorporated into the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of workforce initiatives and programs.
Focus areas of the Workforce Strategy
Our workforce strategy is structured under four areas which represent the areas where we will focus our efforts and activity to address immediate priorities and work towards our vision. The activities under each focus area may change and adapt over time, in response to emerging insights and opportunities.
We will build and support a high performing workforce with the knowledge, skills and aptitudes to enable every child and young person to learn and thrive. We will also ensure our workforce and programs have at their centre, the knowledge and tools to create culturally responsive working and learning environments where Aboriginal people work, learn and thrive.
We will focus on:
Diversity and inclusion
Creating an inclusive workforce that reflects the rich diversity of the communities in which we work and learn, where every individual feels a sense of belonging in workplaces that are free from discrimination.
How we’re doing this:
- embedding our Culturally Responsive Framework across the department
- implementing programs of work and action plans to support diversity and inclusion, equity and respect, anti-racism and other priorities that support all staff with belonging and inclusion
- progressing our stretch Reconciliation Action Plan and continuing our commitment to increase the representation of Aboriginal people in our workforce and supporting their career pathways
- ensuring the voices, experiences, needs and aspirations of staff from diverse backgrounds are heard and incorporated into the design, implementation and evaluation of workforce initiatives and programs.
Organisational effectiveness
Implementing adaptive structures, workforce models, systems and processes that respond to local contexts, insights, and student needs. Ensuring our people and learners thrive in an ever-evolving landscape.
How we’re doing this:
- empowering educators by identifying and co-designing opportunities to reduce workload
- exploring and progressing different ways to design roles, deploy staff and structure teams for the maximum impact in different contexts
- leveraging technology and AI solutions to create more efficient and effective work practices.
Workforce capability
Developing the leadership, knowledge, skills and mindsets essential for providing quality services to learners, communities and employees, while driving innovation through proactive engagement with emerging technologies.
How we’re doing this:
- providing and continuing to extend our wide range of professional learning programs and courses aligned to capability needs of staff across the workforce (link to Orbis and Plink)
- supporting all employees with performance development planning and processes
- providing induction programs and supports for employees who are new at their workplace or returning to work
- strengthening pathways for talent including early career programs and leadership development supporting career progression across every career stage
- supporting staff to gain qualifications through subsidised VET training and scholarships.
Supply, attraction and retention
Reimagining supply pipelines and models with compelling value propositions to attract, utilise and retain a strong and diverse workforce across the department.
How we’re doing this:
- promoting careers in public education in targeted and engaging ways
- providing attractive and supported pathways into employment for targeted roles and employee cohorts
- developing innovative approaches to expand talent pools, create early connections with prospective employees and secure access to quality employees in priority locations
- providing attraction and retention incentives
- increasing teacher permanency
- supporting talent pathways and development into critical roles across the system
recognising and celebrating the exemplary practice and service of our staff.
How we’ll drive impact
Delivering workforce strategy is a collective responsibility. To achieve a thriving workforce we will share practice, learn with and from each other and have the confidence and vulnerability to try new things or change the things we think can be done better. We will collaborate to ensure workforce decisions are made for the greater good and break down barriers to working together to address priorities and achieve our goals.
We will be tight on the purpose we have agreed to take responsibility for, and we will be flexible on how it might be best achieved in different contexts. This might mean tailoring workforce approach at different sites and locations.
We will concentrate on the difference we aim to make for our workforce by embedding a culture and processes that measure our strategies for impact and by using what we learn to inform our policy and practice at every level of the system.
We will empower leaders and equip them with workforce insights, so they can make effective, informed decisions about workforce.
We’ll drive impact by:
- developing, sharing and responding to workforce insights, contemporary research and leading practice
- co-designing workforce solutions and initiatives with leaders, staff and the organisations that represent them
- using our guiding principles to inform our decisions and approaches
- linking initiatives to department, state and national education strategies and priorities
- monitoring our progress using key workforce indicators.
What success looks like
Our success measures are:
Diversity and inclusion
Our workforce reflects the diversity within communities and actively leverages these perspectives to drive innovation, enhance collaboration, and foster a culture of inclusivity.
Our workplaces are environments where our people feel safe, a strong sense of belonging, value and respect.
Organisational effectiveness
Our organisational design, employment models and culture set us apart as an employer of choice and supports us to achieve our aspiration.
Leaders leverage data and insights to inform decision making and proactively address workforce challenges with responsive and innovative solutions aimed at improving employee retention, satisfaction and performance.
Workforce capabillity
Our workforce embraces a commitment to lifelong learning, equipped with the capabilities to inspire and empower our children and young people, ensuring sustained growth and learning.
Our people are recognised and celebrated for their learning mindsets, adaptability, innovation, responsiveness and resilience.
Supply, attraction and retention
The department becomes employer of choice, with strong attraction and retention across the system.
We have strong, agile supply pipelines and models of quality teachers, leaders and non-teaching staff capable of unlocking the potential of every learner.
Employees have positive experiences and opportunities to thrive and progress and are retained in our organisation.
Join our team
With over 30,000 remarkable people, we’re proud to be one of º£½ÇÖ±²¥ Australia’s largest employers. Our big ambitions mean we lead the education sector, not only in size, but with the brightest minds using groundbreaking research that sets new standards.
Our roles and their locations are as diverse as they are abundant, embedded in every community across the state, giving you generous opportunities for growth and development across various pathways. And, as you evolve your career with us, you’ll strengthen the prospects of countless others.
