Recruit An organisation previously faced difficulties in attracting skilled staff , especially in the engineering and planning sectors due to the highly competitive labour market . This prompted the company to develop a “ grow your own ” strategy that aimed to cultivate local talent through traineeships , cadetships , and internship programs that provide young graduates with valuable work experience , training , and mentoring opportunities . The organisation recognised the value of investing in the local community and growing a local resource pool that already has a residence in the area and is integrated into their regional community . These programs also aimed to encourage more young people to pursue careers in the industry , increasing the pool of local talent available to the organisation . This change in workforce strategy was a significant investment , year on year , however seven years later the programs now consistently attract more staff than the organisation ’ s attrition rate and has increased the quality of their candidate pool .
A major tourism provider ’ s workforce attraction strategy is solely based on engaging their local community and never needs to advertise vacant positions . The organisation developed partnerships with local education providers , sports clubs , community groups , and social media groups to expand their recruitment network and engage with potential employees . These partnerships allowed the organisation to reach a wider pool of local candidates who were more likely to be interested in the organisation ’ s mission and values . The organisation promotes an excellent staff culture , significantly invests in the community via sponsorship and supports community events , and attraction is by word-of- mouth only . The organisation ’ s community engagement strategy has been extremely successful over the last 10 years . Additionally , the organisation utilises many returning staff when they visit families during the summer holiday months , facilitated by regular formal communications with their alumni staff by means of electronic newsletters and social media updates .
A healthcare provider successfully implemented a no-interview recruitment strategy for its low-qualification workforce to reduce the barriers for entry , simplify the application process and eliminating ( postponing ) the interview stage . This initiative was pioneered in regional New Zealand to engage the long- term unemployed . By understanding their community demographic , the healthcare provider has increased the pool of candidates , some of which are from Indigenous communities . By pairing with a ‘ buddy ’ and undertaking an informal on-thejob skills assessment , the healthcare provider accessed a community resource pool that was previously disengaged .
The organisation recognised the value of investing in the local community and growing a local resource pool that already has a residence in the area and is integrated into their regional community . These programs also aimed to encourage more young people to pursue careers in the industry , increasing the pool of local talent available to the organisation .
Retain A health care provider faced challenges retaining staff that had relocated to their community . Many new staff members who relocated found it difficult to connect with local residents and establish their lives in the community . As part of their workforce strategy , the health care provider designed a social integration initiative that supports new employees with transitioning to the area by coordinating housing , child care , arranging schooling , supporting the employee ’ s partners with finding employment , introduction to community groups and arranging organisational and community engagement events . By emphasising the importance of social connection with the community , the organisation has supported new staff members to integrate and feel more connected to the new environment resulting in improved staff morale , increasing staff retention rates , and resulting in better patient outcomes .
Many regional organisations have proactively implemented workforce strategies to address their ageing population and ensure effective knowledge sharing and succession planning . One key initiative is the implementation of the “ Emerging Leaders Program ”, aimed at identifying and developing talented young generations in the organisation who show potential for future leadership roles . This program for nominated staff provides targeted training , mentoring and opportunities for growth by enabling the transfer of knowledge and skills from experienced executives to the emerging leaders by means of a formal program .
Separate This concept is not new , and many regional organisations successfully incorporate job redesign and rotation into their workforce retention strategies , aimed to support staff engagement and career progression opportunities . The job redesign and rotation strategy involves assessing each staff member ’ s skills , abilities , career goals and identifying areas where they could develop their skills and knowledge within the organisation . Staff are then rotated through different roles throughout organisation , giving them exposure to different functions , departments , addressing new challenges and growing professionally . The strategy allows staff to gain new skills and experiences , which improves their engagement and job satisfaction . By providing staff with new challenges , opportunities to learn new skills and opportunities for career development , the organisation is able to retain staff , reduce turnover rates and improve recruitment success .
Most sectors in regional Victoria are actively seeking to develop relationships with educational institutions to provide students with work experience opportunities and identify future talent . The survey results indicate that a majority of respondents ( 68 %) reported having a formal relationship or affiliation with tertiary institutions through internship programs . Despite this , only 18 % of respondents reported having a formal partnership with universities or tertiary institutions / providers . This highlights the unlocked
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT JOURNAL VOL 17 NO 1 2024 33