In June 2025, the APS HR Professional Stream organised 2 one-day HR Data Masterclasses. These sessions were designed to upskill APS HR professionals about using data for HR work.
A national webinar was held on 12 June and an in-person session was held in Canberra on 25 June 2025. Each session was limited to 40 participants to allow more interaction with the presenter, data specialist Michael McAlister from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. With over 20 years’ experience working with HR data in the APS, Michael was well-placed to share industry best practices, and guide both new and experienced HR data users. His engaging presentation covered many aspects of data including the data science lifecycle, key HR metrics, data sources and data visualisation. It also included time for group discussions and networking. Professionals from specific areas of HR such as recruitment, L&D, workforce planning, and health and safety found useful information that they could tailor for their particular areas of specialisation.
The training aimed to improve participants’ skills in various aspects of data usage, including being able to:
- Select the best source of data for the purpose.
- Identify trends, patterns, and variances.
- Interpret data to address business needs.
- Select the best method to communicate HR data insights to business.
Participants provided positive feedback and appreciated having data training that was targeted at HR practitioners. There was a lot of interest in these sessions and not all applicants were able to secure a spot, indicating the popularity of this topic. To cater to the demand, the APS HR Professional Stream will continue planning for more future sessions. If you have feedback or would like to volunteer to deliver training sessions about HR data, please contact APSHRProfessionalStream@ato.gov.au.