Professional Development: Whose responsibility is it anyway?

Associate Professor Gillian HallamQueensland University of Technology

Brisbane, Australia

ALA IRRT Panel Discussion

Anaheim, 30 June 2008

Overview

• Introduction• Background to the LIS sector in Australia• A focus on some critical workforce issues• A snapshot of a recent research project• How Professional Development is

encouraged and supported in Australia• And whose responsibility is it anyway?

Australia: 7.7m sq km

21m population

USA: 9.6m sq km

304m population

Similar standards of living, birth rates, life expectancy etc

So, what is ‘the LIS sector’ in Australia?

• A complex domain– National Library and 8 State and Territory Libraries– 1,800 public libraries– 38 university libraries and 70 TAFE libraries– 1,100 special libraries– 9,500 school libraries

• Total workforce of 29,100 (ABS 2008)– 12,300 librarians– 8,800 library technicians

– 8,000 library assistants

Socio-economic issues on the horizon in Australia

• Unemployment dropping below 4%• Ageing of the population

– the baby boomers are all retiring

• Lower levels of fertility– fewer children = fewer workers in the future

“Demographic change will develop into the challenge of replacing skilled older workers from a much smaller pool of younger workers”

Professions Australia, 2005

Other issues impacting on the workforce in Australia

• The strength of the resources sector

“In Western Australia, companies are offering incentives normally reserved for executive placements, such as housing, bonuses and high salaries, to attract cleaners”

• A movement away from tertiary education, with government funded student places unfilled

• Some professions have a higher proportion of mature workers, eg education, nursing, community services and libraries

• Reports of ageist and unsupportive workplaces – but new strategies in place to counterbalance this

Issues within the LIS sector (or sectors?) in Australia

• Increasing need for diverse specialisation across the different fields of LIS

• Growing anecdotal evidence about the difficulties recruiting staff with the right specialist skills

• Opportunities for employment of people with a broader skills base

• Debate about whether we actually have a ‘distinctive skill set

• Challenges within the higher education system

• Can formal education offerings support the full range of employment opportunities?

• And what about the attributes and qualities we need to be able to drive the profession forward?

Libraries of the 21st Century Symposium

“For those of us left in the profession, collaborative research and development is key to our future. Workforce analysis, especially around public library and academic library personnel is needed. We also need to undertake a current workforce skills audit and plan recruitment and education strategies for the library workforce of the 21st century.”

Dr Vicki WilliamsonState Library of Victoria

February 2006

The neXus research project

• Two different, but interrelated, studies• Stage One: Online survey of individuals

• 2346 responses

• Stage Two: Workforce policies and practices in institutions• 101 responses

• Key stakeholders: – Queensland University of Technology (QUT)– Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA)– CAVAL Collaborative Solutions– National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA)

Scope of the neXus project

• To respond to the need for a major study to capture data on:– Demographics– Education– Employment– Employment policies and practices– Training and development policies and practices

• To endeavour to develop “a comprehensive overview of the [LIS] professional resource issues, challenges and opportunities” (Professions Australia, 2005)

• To understand the issues that represent the nexus between education, curriculum, recruitment, retention, training and development to potentially sustain - and develop - the LIS workforce in Australia

Impact on training and development

through interplay between:1. New entrants who may wish to gain variety of experience

and diverse employment opportunities

53% in current job for less than 5 years

29% in current job for less than 2 years

• Means more frequent hiring, induction and initial training

2. Stable workforce in mid to late career stages

20% in same job for more than 10 years

• Means little change in personnel but significant changes to tasks/functions, with associated training and development

Retirement of current workforce

By 2010 By 2015

All respondents 16% 32%

Senior career / Senior manager 25% 64%

Senior career / Middle manager 29% 53%

Total retiring 2006-2015 32%cf 56 years and over 18%

A significant number of people will take early retirement12% of those planning to retire in next 3 years are under 45

However, 22% aged over 56 plan to work for more than 6 more yearsChanges to work processes by 2015?

The ability to adapt and learn new skills is critical!

Key areas for attention

• ICT skills • Management skills• Leadership skills• Academic research and higher degrees

• The development of management and leadership skills is challenged by:– Confusion existing between the concepts– Ongoing flattening of organisations and downgrading of professional

positions to restrict the opportunity for individual experience and growth– Professional frustration with lack of career path– Lack of ambition, incentive and/or motivation to progress own career– Non-conducive organisational culture to encourage and foster

career-long learning– The brain drain

Professional membership

neXus1 respondents: members of ALIA 42%

Degree of professional involvement:

Very often 12%

Often 16%

Sometimes 25%

Rarely 18%

Never 18%

Professional engagement and professional development

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Formal PD Informal PD Rarely/Never

ALIA member

Non ALIA member

ALIA Professional Development Scheme

• Professional Development (PD) is your strategy for success ... lifelong learning that is unique to you

• Professional Development– Improves your ability to undertake your job – Helps you keep pace with changing technology and knowledge

in the dynamic environment of the library and information sector – Ensures you maintain a competitive edge – Builds self esteem and enhances your career opportunities – Provides assurance to your employer and the community

that you are keeping yourself up-to-date

Features of the ALIA PD Scheme

• Offered as a member benefit• Open to all Associate and Library Technician members • Founded on the belief that the ultimate motivation for

professional knowledge and skills lies with the individual

• Voluntary participation, but mandatory compliance• Utilises an easy-to-apply points system• Extends over a three year period (triennium)

– Min 30 points per annum– Min 120 points per triennium

• Has a range of supporting resources– Career Development Kit– User Guide

PD activities

Details of how points are accrued and for what kinds of activities:

• Informal learning activities• Professional reading• Publications• ALIA career development kit• Personal study project• Presentations and papers• Work-based research projects• Secondments• Assessed short courses• Aurora Leadership Institute• Tertiary courses• Contribution to ALIA

A link to the online PD tracking database is available from each activity

Primary and shared responsibilities

• The individual• Educators and training providers• Employers• The professional association

The individual

• You have an obligation to yourself to:– Keep up-to-date

– Develop new skills, knowledge and confidence to ensure you have a successful and rewarding career

– Demonstrate your commitment to being the best you can be

– Provide professional service to your clients and employer

– Enhance the profession's image

Educators and Training Providers

• Are encouraged to provide courses in library and information management:– to prepare graduates to enter the profession– with the core knowledge, skills and generic attributes– in order to deliver the highest-quality library and

information services

• Are encouraged to provide and promote educational courses:– at entry-level for those 'starting out' – for ongoing professional development for

those already working in the profession

Employers

• Have a responsibility to provide opportunities for ongoing learning through effective staff development programs

• Are encouraged to invest in PD:– to help you and the organisation operate at full capacity– to fill knowledge gaps, to grow and to adapt to change

• May provide help with fees or time off if there is a mutual benefit

• Can link PD to your Performance Evaluation ... ALIA's Career Development Kit can support this

The Professional Association

• Helps you keep up-to-date and develop new knowledge and skills

• Supports you by developing tools and resources such as the ALIA PD scheme and ALIA Career Development Kit

• Organises partnerships with professional training providers and other professional associations to provide learning opportunities in library and information management

• Formally recognises members who participate in ALIA's professional development scheme

• Recognises and rewards high levels of achievement

Australian Library & Information Sector

Our roles & responsibilities

The professional association:

The professional association has a responsibility to encourage, enable and reward the learning and professional development necessary for acquiring and maintaining professional excellence

Employers:

Employers have a responsibility to meet the ongoing learning and professional development needs necessary for maintaining professional excellence

Educators:

Educators have a responsibility to provide and promote the formal education courses and qualifications necessary for developing professional excellence

Individuals:

Individuals have a responsibility to ensure that they acquire and maintain the knowledge and skills necessary for professional excellence

Review of and reflection on PD

• National Advisory Congress 2008 meetings: key topics for discussion

1. What do we need to do to ensure that we have the skills for a future workforce?

2. What is the role of employers and employees in professional development?

3. How can the Association‟s PD Scheme be utilised to support this goal?

4. Can a compulsory PD Scheme benefit the profession?

5. What do you see is ALIA‟s role in these areas? How can we engage employers and employees? And other professional bodies and training organisations?

To conclude

• The development of effective managers and visionary and perceptive leaders is an integral part of the career development process

• Progressive retirement from the profession, with its associated loss of skills and experience, must be matched by incremental staff development strategies within it

• There is a close link between staff development and staff retention

• The ability to retain high quality staff requires:– A sharp focus on the qualities of the job itself– Alignment of staff with the jobs to be performed– A structured approach to timely and relevant

training opportunities

• The faster the pace of change, the greater the imperative for staff development

• If the LIS sector is to maximise the opportunitiesoffered by the dynamic environment it operates in,then career-long learning becomes an imperative

• We need a culture of professional development,through formal and informal channels and through a vibrant professional life, if LIS is to be truly recognised as a ‘learning profession’

• Questions and comments?

• To contact me: g.hallam@qut.edu.au