NSW Public Sector Capability Framework

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NSW Public Sector Capability Framework

• Briefing Session

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What is the Capability Framework

• It defines the skills, knowledge and abilities
  relevant to all NSW public sector staff,
  regardless of their location, agency or job role

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Why do we need a Capability Framework

• The capability framework will provide a common
  language to help everyone understand the skills,
  knowledge and abilities needed to do their job.
• It provides a platform for both sector wide and
  individual agency workforce planning and human
  resources practices.
• The Capability Framework will contribute to
  recruiting, developing and retaining the
  capabilities required to deliver services to the
  community and government priorities.

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What does the framework mean for agencies

• All agencies are required to adopt the framework
  as much as possible.
• There is flexibility in the framework to develop
  agency/technical specific capabilities.

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How has the framework been developed?

• Consultation process
• Key findings
• Alignment to job evaluation

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Consultation Process

• Reviewed a number of existing agency capability
  frameworks to identify common capabilities across
  the sector
• Held consultation meetings with a number of
  agencies to define the skills, knowledge and
  abilities relevant to all NSW public sector staff
• Held focus groups for a number of occupational
  working groups to understand specific job family
  career paths and relevant capabilities. Focus
  groups were held for the following groups
• Customer Service
• Finance/Accounting
• Engineering
• Leadership and Management
• Audit
• Case Work
• Asset and Property Management
• Policy
• Reviewed over 140 position descriptions across a
  range of agencies, occupations and grades

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Key Findings from Review of State Plan and
Strategic Documents

• Importance of Line-of-Sight between Vision,
  Values and Capability Framework
• Rights, Respect and Responsibility
• Delivering Better Services
• Fairness and Opportunity
• Growing Prosperity Across NSW, and
• Environment for Living
• Key Drivers NSW Government Values State Plan
• Stronger Accountability
• Structures to Drive Action
• Effective partnerships
• Decisions for the Long term
• Key Drivers NSW Government Values Code of
  Conduct
• Responsibility to the Government of the day
• Respect for people
• Integrity and public interest
• Responsive service
• Economy and efficiency

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Key Findings from Review of Existing Frameworks
and Positions descriptions

• There are currently 79 capabilities in use (i.e.
  referenced in PDs)
• There is inconsistent use of capabilities
• There is very little capability level definition
• Capabilities are often duplicated
• Some agencies have adopted a few favourites which
  they use for almost every job
• There are gaps (as expected) between what is in
  agency Position Description and the capability
  frameworks

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Commonly used capabilities

• The most commonly used (ie found in position
  descriptions) capabilities are
• Conceptual and analytical ability
• Interpersonal skills
• Negotiation skills
• People management
• Problem solving and decision making
• Project/Program management
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Verbal communication
• Written communication

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Key Findings from Consultation

• There is a difference in the depth and breadth of
  capability that is required for core business
  roles (e.g. Audit Office, Treasury, Premiers)
  versus agency environment and the framework has
  to offer
• There is some rough grade consistency across
  agencies for similar roles
• Key common capabilities in draft form emerged
• Analytical/Conceptual Thinking
• Communication
• Customer Service
• Management/Leadership
• Project management
• Teamwork
• Technical knowledge/expertise

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Designing the Framework

• Our key criteria when designing the framework
• in line with the Sectors vision and values
• makes sense for all agencies and occupations
  across the sector
• comprehensive
• meaningful and easy to use
• Who does the framework apply to?
• What about SES
• Quality
• Mercers global capability library
• private sector/international models

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Framework Structure 3 streams of capability
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Framework Structure
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The Capabilities
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Direction Leadership and Management Stream
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Alignment to Job Evaluation

• Used capabilities to document 42 roles
• Analysed each capability and each capability
  level and how it would map back to grades
• Created a feasibility matrix that matched each
  capability level to an AC grade level
• Outcome was a matrix showing for each grade a
  range of capability levels
• Note different level of overlap for different
  capabilities.

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The MOU

• PSA has agreed to full implementation of
• the framework, including its usage through the
  e-Recruitment system
• the library of position descriptions, including
  ongoing expansion
• Where the framework is utilised, agencies can now
  use desktop evaluation (as opposed to panels) for
  job evaluation.

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Union Involvement

• Union Consultative Group
• Library of position descriptions

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How the PDs were created and evaluated

• Mercer reviewed over 150 agency Position
  Descriptions
• Mercer developed a template that was reviewed and
  improved by the Reference Group
• Mercer constructed position documentation for 42
  benchmark roles
• Internal peer review of Position Descriptions by
  Mercer
• Peer review of Position Descriptions by Meg Price
  and Fatima Abbas
• Position Descriptions were then sent to Agencies
  for feedback
• Feedback was incorporated to Position
  Descriptions
• Job evaluations will be endorsed by Mercer and
  the PSA
• Internal peer review of job evaluations by Mercer

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Library of Position descriptions

• 42 PDs
• Common jobs in the sector
• Use for new recruitment actions
• Will be available from DPC and the e-Recruitment
  system (when live)

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Library of PDs

• Max 2 pages
• Max 8 selection criteria
• Changes to the library can be made to the
  position details (except the grade), Primary
  Purpose of the Position and Key Challenges and
  Influences without affecting the job evaluation
  outcome.

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Existing agency frameworks

• Agencies with an existing framework should
  undertake a mapping process
• Identify any gaps
• Attend the Capability Development Workshops in
  December
• Flexibility in the framework to develop
  agency/technical specific capabilities

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How will the framework be used?

• DPC is developing resources to support agencies
  to integrate capabilities in
• Workforce planning
• Managing for performance
• Career planning
• Recruitment and selection
• Learning and development

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E-Recruitment System
What are you doing?

• Building a system that will support the full end
  to end recruitment process for NSW government
  agencies
• Flagship for Careers that Count

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Why are you doing it?

• Public sector reform
• Taking advantage of positive features
• Reporting Reform feedback loop
• Slow recruitment times, resulting in
• High recruitment costs
• Loss of preferred candidates
• Long term trends in the workforce

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Where did the idea come from?

• CCGQ recommendations
• Business Case December 2007

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What will it do?

• Recruitment tools
• Standard sets of capability statements, position
  descriptions, and job advertisements
• Applicant tracking and recruitment process
  management, especially bulk recruitment
• Pre-screening, assessment and selection tools

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What will it do?

• Advertising/Promotion
• Enable online job advertisements and applications
  
• Option to upload and direct job ads to commercial
  job boards, agency websites, professional
  associations and other employment networks
• Promotion of employment in NSW Public Sector,
  with branding and promotional campaigns

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What will it do?

• Talent pools
• Potential employees register for employment
  opportunities of any kind and are automatically
  advised of suitable vacancies
• Government employers search the talent pool for
  potential candidates
• Automatic priority matching of displaced staff

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What will it do?

• Reporting
• Give agencies the ability to see how their
  recruitment works
• Give government the ability to see how
  recruitment across the whole sector works
• Give the opportunity to make changes to make it
  work better

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What are we hoping to get out of it?

• Making the process more efficient
• Shorter time to hire
• Freeing HR staff to advise on recruitment
  strategies and assist line managers
• Implementing more contemporary recruitment
  practices
• Savings to agencies when engaging temporary and
  contract staff
• Extensive reporting to benchmark and improve
  agency performance
• Site content attraction strategies

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When are you doing it?

• System implementation
• Tender 15 December 08
• Decision March 09
• Planned go-live October 09
• job.nsw.gov.au functionality for all agencies
• full functionality for pilot agencies
• Rollout of full functionality over following 15
  months

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Want to know more?

• Mark Webb 9228 3363
• Kay Hathway 9228 5583
• Kath Rothquel 9228 3904
• e-recruitment_at_dpc.nsw.gov.au

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Piloting the Framework

• Piloting in DPC in performance management and
  with new recruitment action
• The career mobility program for finance
  professionals

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Capability Development Workshops

• Support agency users to develop supplementary
  capabilities to reflect agency specific/technical
  capabilities
• Full day workshops
• 8 Dec
• 10 Dec
• 15 Dec
• 16 Dec
• 17 Dec
• Train the trainer workshops late Jan/early Feb 09

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Questions?