Capability and professional development
Disclaimer: The positions outlined on this page are proposals and remain subject to ongoing bargaining. These positions are subject to change through bargaining and do not represent final agreed outcomes or create new employee entitlements.
The Commonwealth recognises that career progression and professional development is the foundation for developing our employees to shape a public service that delivers for all Australians.
The APS Employment Conditions survey identified that currently, development and career progression as an area with lower satisfaction. We saw that 47% of respondents are dissatisfied with current arrangements. These positions are designed to support all APS employees to build capability, develop their skills and grow their careers across the APS.
These changes enhance commonality and strengthen our commitment to the APS Employee Value Proposition by supporting opportunities to learn and grow. It further positions the APS as a model employer and supports greater mobility across the service by helping employees build experience and capability.
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To find out more about the Commonwealth’s preliminary position on careers and development, contact your APS bargaining representative or Agency Lead Negotiator.
Learning and development
Learning and development helps APS employees build capability, perform effectively and develop throughout their careers.
The Chief Negotiator is proposing a new learning and development common clause that would be included in all enterprise agreements to support all employees to access a range of appropriate learning and development opportunities.
This gives employees greater opportunity to access meaningful development that supports both their current role and future career across the APS.
Study assistance
Study assistance allows employees to build deeper expertise, gain recognised qualifications and develop the skills they need for future opportunities across the service.
A proposed new common condition provides a consistent approach to study assistance though common language and considerations around becoming an ‘approved student’.
Support may include paid or unpaid study leave, paid time, financial assistance, or a combination. Agency Heads will retain discretion to determine who is an approved student and the type and amount of study assistance approved.
Professional qualifications
Assisting employees to maintain required professional qualifications supports the specialist expertise, standards and capability the APS relies on to deliver high-quality services to the Australian community.
The Chief Negotiator's proposal is to provide a uniform approach to meeting the reasonable costs for appropriate employees holding and maintaining the professional qualifications required for their role.
These provisions support employees who have mandatory obligations to hold a registration, accreditation, licence, or practising certificate as an inherent requirement for their role, along with broad agency discretion to support employees to maintain professional memberships including to support professionalisation.