Local Government Career Pathways and Workforce Toolkit

Local Government Association of South Australia Research and Development Scheme APP2022.61;
Co-contribution from Legatus Group

The project involve the development of a Local Government Career Pathways & Workforce Toolkit tailored specifically to the needs of regional SA councils. The toolkit will contain a series of frameworks, strategies, and tools to assist regional local councils in their quest to attract, develop and retain local government workforces. The initial topics to be covered included: Attraction and marketing strategies for local governments as a Regional Employer of Choice; LG Careers Toolkit which regional local councils can utilize individually or collectively to develop stakeholder relationships with regional High Schools, VET providers, and SA-based universities; development of a Careers Pathways Framework for potential local entry-level and mid-level labour markets, key untapped labour pools (women & indigenous employment programs) and professional occupations in the LG sector; Shared recruitment strategies and professional services and; Diversifying the workforce strategies and toolkit (skilled migration, flexible employment options for women; Indigenous employment). These issues have initially been identified through a Legatus funded research project with Torrens University Australia which held regional-based focus groups and surveyed the Legatus group councils (n=15) plus other regional councils. The research identified that as a sector more broadly we have not been active in that space despite pockets of best practice and innovative solutions across some regional councils. Key findings identified these topics as the key issues facing regional LGAs in their attempts to attract, develop and retain their respective regional local government workforces.