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Developing Learning Programsin Partnerships in NSW LocalGovernment — a case studyRobert Mellor aa University of Technology , SydneyPublished online: 01 Nov 2006.

To cite this article: Robert Mellor (1998) Developing Learning Programs in Partnerships inNSW Local Government — a case study, Higher Education Research & Development, 17:2,183-190, DOI: 10.1080/0729436980170204

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Higher Education Research & Development, Vol. 17, No. 2, 1998 183

Developing Learning Programs inPartnerships in NSW LocalGovernment—a case studyROBERT MELLORUniversity of Technology, Sydney

ABSTRACT The development of the Graduate Certificate in Local Government Manage-ment at the University of Technology, Sydney, grew out of an initial request for flexibilityand relevance in higher education and resulted in a partnership with local government itself.The course is designed as a one-year program, delivered in a variety of modes and (withinan agreed framework) both content and delivery options are negotiated with the partici-pants, their employers and the local government industry. Students undertake the course aspart of a structured process of solving problems in the workplace and hence the programseeks to facilitate a process of flexible learning for students whilst also delivering agreedoutcomes in the council workplace.

Introduction

The development and implementation of the Graduate Certificate in Local Govern-ment involved a three-way partnership which acknowledged the importance of theemployer, the university and the student in the program. The course integrates corecomponents through a Foundation Stream which incorporates theoretical aspects ofmanagement delivered in a block mode, with a student-directed Workplace Project.Specific areas of student and organisational interest are included in an electivestream where students have the choice of further university-based subjects, shortcourses, portfolio development or workplace learning and research.

Students and industry partners are asked to reflect on subsequent changes in theworkplace and their place and involvement in these changes. In this way, learning inthe workplace is supported by elements of reflection-in-action (Argyris & Schön,1987). Garrick and Kirkpatrick (this issue) suggest that several theories of learningin adult education are evident in authentic workplace learning situations. This casestudy demonstrates the use of experiential learning (Boud, Cohen & Walker, 1993)and self-directed learning (Candy, 1991) through the development of the WorkplaceProject and the flexible design of the Elective Stream.

The University of Technology, Sydney, view of workplace learning is character-ised by learning in an authentic setting (Billet, 1994) by a curriculum that isinfluenced by the exigencies of work, by a three-way partnership between student,

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184 R. Mellor

employer and university, by a flexible combination of units, and by a flexibility ofentry and exit points (Working Group on Work-based Learning at UTS, 1997).

Garrick and Kirkpatrick (this issue) suggest that:

Learning in the workplace is seen to be more process oriented than thecontemplative idea of knowing that is associated with traditional universitylearning. ... The challenge is to develop critical views that include thecontemplative considerations of "critical being" along with operationalviews knowledge, (p. ??)

This course demonstrates a close integration of "contemplative considerations" with"operational views of knowledge" and recognises the tensions that emerge when theworkplace is considered as a "learning environment" and the "quality" of learningthat may result.

Development of the Program

Background

Local government, as a large, public-sector employer, is currently facing a period ofunprecedented change and, therefore, an increased demand for higher levels ofeducation and learning to enhance the professional development of their pro-fessional staff and middle mangers. These staff typically commence employment incouncils with entry-level qualifications (usually an undergraduate degree or dip-loma) in one of more than a dozen disciplines and often seek to improve their skillsin those disciplines through university postgraduate programs.

However, the majority of council employers and professional associations haveemphasised short Continuing Professional Education (CPE) courses in an attemptto meet the industry's ongoing educational needs. Our initial approaches revealed anemployer perception that CPE courses were more effective in creating noticeableoutcomes in the workplace and that there was often little correlation between thelearning outcomes of formal higher education programs and the change in perform-ance required by the employer. Marginson (1997) suggests that managementeducation is increasingly being driven by competitive economic pressures. In anindustry where there has been a relatively large investment of resources and effortinto developing a skills-based award, local government still tends to over-emphasisepaper credentials for entry and yet simultaneously laments the "failure" of formaleducation to meet their ongoing needs.

Perhaps from this it is too easily suggested that employers are interested only inthe outcomes of learning and not the process of learning itself. However, somecouncils did appear to be interested in learning processes and, whilst keen tominimise the "cost of interface" to an employee's normal work schedule, were eagerto explore programs that maximised the employee's productivity, their ability to takeresponsibility, their contribution to workplace change and their ability to thinkstrategically. These areas offered an invitation to a "middle ground" where we could

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Developing Learning Programs 185

explore flexible learning options but still aim for quite specific organisationaloutcomes.

Developing the Program with Industry Partners

The program was collaboratively developed through a series of design workshopswith industry, employer and employees representatives. This group defined a num-ber of critical factors:

• owing to the environment of rapid change in the public sector the course contentneeded to be extremely topical and up-to-date;

• as time and financial resources within local councils are scarce, tangible organisa-tional results from supporting employees undertaking study are required;

• students should be able to bring problems from their workplace and "workshop"them towards a solution via the course program;

• the program should emphasise the link between learnt concepts and application intheir workplace;

• given the vast diversity of disciplines in local government, students needed to beable to undertake learning in core management subjects as well as in theirprofessional specialisation;

• the program needed to recognise the expertise in the industry itself through:presentations by industry experts, exchange of knowledge between peers andmentoring;

• the core program needed to: introduce theoretical and conceptual backgrounds tolocal government management, develop strategic thinking, introduce practicalskills, increase awareness of learning resources, set practical work-based learningexercises, and utilise reflective process; and

• the program must "be fun".

Staff from the UTS Centre for Local Government had had a lengthy period ofindustry consultation (two years) and had formed solid partnership with the twomajor local government professional associations (IMM and IMEA). This gave theprogram credibility and generated a greater interest and understanding of how theprogram could be used to greatest benefit by the employer, the employee and theindustry. Participants can be "sponsored" by both their employer and their pro-fessional association and financial support varies from case to case. This gives strongvalue to the participation in learning (the professional associations give membershiprewards to those who undertake the program) as well as the achievement ofoutcomes (councils participate in the course by supporting employees to undertakethe program and develop strategies for action in their workplace.)

In our trial, 22 employees registered for the program. The council agreed tofinancially support the student for 50% of the course fees, and provided studentsboth paid time to attend and use of council premises. The delivery on-site becamea tangible symbol that the council wished to be seen as a place of learning. Programdelivery times were negotiated, the participants were enrolled as off-campus studentsand were sent a letter of congratulations from the Centre for Local Government.

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186 R. Mellor

The Program Structure

The course aims to:

• provide students with knowledge, skills and competencies, in the principles andpractices of local government management;

• allow students to access a combination of general and specialist study through arange of flexible learning modes;

• provide students with life-long learning skills to continue their own professionaldevelopment through short courses or further academic study;

• introduce students to university and further postgraduate study;• provide a mix of core learning materials with a workplace action learning cycle in

professional development; and• emphasise the importance of workplace "specialisation" in contents and learning

approaches.

The course structure consists of four subjects: Local Government Principles andPractice 1 (core); Local Government Principles and Practice 2 (core); VocationalCompetencies 1; and Vocational Competencies 2 (see Figure 1). The two work-shops in the core program are delivered on council premises and require students toundertake self-directed and group study of written material, participate in work-shops and complete a negotiated Workplace Project.

The supplementary elective stream (Vocational Competencies 1 & 2) requiresstudents to design and undertake an individual learning program—achievablethrough: postgraduate subjects at universities or other industry providers; packagesconducted under the supervision of Centre staff.

Program Components

The sponsoring body is responsible for selecting the location and the mode ofdelivery for the Foundation Stream. The 2 X 5-day workshop in block mode appearsto be popular with individual councils and regions, but part-time evening offeringsmay be made available in metropolitan locations.Students begin their preparation byattending an initial briefing session (typically on-site at the council) which outlinesthe program and introduces the concurrent goals for workplace outcomes as well asindividuals' learning. Students view the framework that will require them to under-take a project that addresses a problem in their workplace. Students are providedwith a substantial workbook containing, timetables, background notes, selectedreadings, lists of other sources of information, and further information about theWorkplace Project and assessment. Much of the material had been suggested bymembers of the Industry Advisory Committee who have nominated it as examplesof best practice. 'Pre-course' reading of the material is not mandatory.

The two modules of the Foundation Stream require students to:

• explore both the organisational outcomes and the individual learning outcomes;• develop an ongoing group learning relationship between themselves;• examine a background of substantive material on public-sector management

theory and practices;

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Developing Learning Programs 187

FOUNDATION STREAM

Introductionto theWorkplaceProject

Local Government Principles& Practices I

(5-Day Block Mode)

• Overview of ManagementIssues

• Leadership, Managementand Organisations

• Managing Work• Managing People• Quality in Management• Looking at yourself as a

manager

Local Government Principles& Practices 2

(5-Day Block Mode)

• Communication Skills• Management and Work

Practices• Customer Service

Orientation and Techniques• Financial Management• Staff Performance

Monitoring and Evaluation• Managing For Change• Debates• Managing and the Future

Self-directedwork onWorkplaceProject

Completion ofthe Workplace

" Project.Development ofPersonalLearningProgram.

SUPPLEMENTARY ELECTIVE STREAM

Vocational Competencies 1

• elective subjects• assessable short courses• assessed short course portfolio• workplace learning & research

Vocational Competencies 2

• elective subjects• assessable short courses• assessed short course portfolio• workplace learning & research

FIG. 1. Program structure.

explore and discuss current issues facing: the industry, the origination, themselvesand their work unit;examine their own skills as a manager and identify personal areas for furtherlearning and development, and also seek further information from a variety ofsources;utilise the Workplace Project to identify problems in their workplace and explore,develop and refine possible solutions and avenues for further investigation/study;andprepare and give a presentation on issues facing their workplace and theirstrategies to deal with these issues.

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188 R. Mellor

The broad topic areas presented in the workshop sessions and in the supportingmaterial have been developed with both the industry partners as well as thesponsoring body. These will be updated each year by the industry partners aswell as students. Many of the areas identified have been substantiated by recentworks examining the needs of Australian managers, particularly the so-called"Karpin" Report (Industry Commission, 1996) and the recent Draft recommendedcompetency standards for local government managers (TAFE NSW—Public Sector,1997).

Students are expected to identify critical issues which they (as a group) would liketo see emphasised during the workshop sessions and they are encouraged to bringany further supporting material to share with the rest of the group. During theworkshop period, students are required to reflect on the material covered each dayand articulate the links to critical issues they have identified. Students also arerequired to critically appraise the theoretical frameworks in the material and discusstheir relevance to the workplace.

The workshop structure enables students to engage with issues andmaterials through a variety of media including: student presentations; lectures;discussions; videos; individual and group exercises; hypotheticals and simulations;and debate.

Students select articles from the readings that are personally relevant to them andwrite brief reviews. This allows early feedback on the quality of their written workand discussions on the expectations of future written assessments.

The final sessions in the first module are focused on discussing the WorkplaceProject and evaluation of the workshop. Students are involved in reviewing thedelivery of the sessions, the material provided and whether their critical issues wereaddressed appropriately. Our South Sydney trial group indicated that, "day threewas boring" but then developed a series of alternative delivery methods for theday-three topic areas.

The Workplace Project forms both the bridge between the two FoundationStream modules and also a link between the workshops and the flexible learningcomponent of the program. It provides an environment where students can applyand test their skills and knowledge in the workplace with the benefits of guidanceand support.

The Workshop 1 phase of the Workplace Project requires students to:

• reflect upon their learning in the workshops and reappraise the critical issues forthemselves and their workplace;

• develop a "snapshot" of their work section and identify critical factors thatinfluence performance—including indicators for success;

• develop and implement a mechanism to gain feedback from their 'customers';• assess their section against developed indicators and identify problems for

attention;• appraise their own performance; and• develop an action plan for their section and a personal action plan for further

learning.

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Developing Learning Programs 189

During the second Foundation Stream module, students present the draft findingsof their Workplace Project and are given feedback for further refinement—from thegroup as well as senior management and key decision-makers in their organisation.Feedback is encouraged on: project content; project conduct; and the developmentof an individual learning program to support both their personal objectives and theoutcomes identified for their work section. The final report on the WorkplaceProject is developed into a style and format which offers valuable resources to: fellowstudents; staff in the relevant work sections; the senior management of the councilor the sponsoring body.

The structure of the Graduate Certificate is designed to facilitate the developmentof appropriate and strategic Individual learning programs through the subjects'Vocational Competencies 1 & 2. The Workplace Project requires the student todevelop a learning program that is directed towards achieving key outcomes andsolving specific problems in the workplace—this focus appears to take away some ofthe problems of "too much choice". The individual learning program has the benefitof input from a wide range of sources—therefore maximising the students' knowl-edge of learning options available and possible programs.

In developing their individual learning programs, students are required to articu-late clearly the links between their program and the achievement of both personaland organisational outcomes. If an "ideal" program is not possible owing to time orfinancial constraints, or is simply not available, students are guided to develop aprogram which best meets their needs. This critical process requires students toexamine options and develop a positive response that is practical if not

Throughout the program, students are required to review their performance andreflect on the learning process. These reflections enable students to make alterationsto their individual learning program, to reflect on new skills and knowledge andsuggest methods for future learning. Students are also asked to evaluate the programand make suggestions for further developments.Industry partners and sponsoringbodies are encouraged to identify changes in the workplace and reflect on their owninvolvement and contributions. The program is particularly keen to develop asurrounding program of effective mentoring, and the industry partners shouldprovide ongoing input on program content and options.

Conclusion—Critical Partnerships

The success of projects such as the Graduate Certificate in Local GovernmentManagement depends on the quality of the partnerships between universities andindustry and employers. The input, at planning stage, of industry stakeholders isrequired to ensure the credibility of the program and also maintain a source ofrelevant material and critical evaluation. The reflective processes ensure all partnersactively critique the process and outcomes of the course.

For workplace-based learning to occur effectively there needs to be genuinesupport provided and a recognition of both the learning process as well as theorganisations' outcomes. The development of mentoring and peer group educationmechanisms are critical both during the duration of the course and in order to

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190 R. Mellor

achieve the aims of life-long learning (Boud, 1997). The university, industry and theworkplace need to work together to continually develop further options for inclusionin the individual learning programs—without these options, workplace-based pro-grams such as the Graduate Certificate will be able to offer little in the way offlexible learning.

Address for correspondence: Robert Mellor, Centre for Local Government Educationand Research, University of Technology, Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW2007, Australia. E-mail: roben.mellor@uts.edu.au

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BOUD, D., COHEN, R. & WALKER, D. (Eds.). (1993). Using experience for learning. Buckingham:Open University Press.

CANDY, P.C. (1991). Self direction for lifelong learning: A comprehensive guide to theory and practice.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

GARRICK, J. & KIRKPATRICK, D. (1998). Workplace-based learning degrees: A new businessventure, or a new critical business? Higher Education Research & Development, 17(2),171-182.

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