The Victorian Government has recognised that workforce planning is a major issue for businesses in growing profitably.
To this end, the Government has created the My Business, My People initiative to help businesses with five to 100 employees in their workforce planning.
The Government has allocated $10.6 million over four years to the project which was launched by the Minister for Small Business, Theo Theophanous, in March 2007.
The program is divided into three main components:
• A free on-site workforce planning diagnostic where a business consultant attends the workplace
• An action plan on how the business can be improved through workforce planning
• A program to develop management capabilities where up to 50% subsidies are available for the development of management skills, training needs and developing the capabilities of owners and managers
Depending on the size of the business, the initial part of the program is valued at approximately $5,000. The only investment from a business standpoint is time for the consultant to conduct the workforce planning diagnostic, go through the action plan with the business owner or manager, and outline the components of the subsidies and how they can be accessed.
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Three industry groups have been appointed as service providers to the State Government to run the programs. The companies are:
• SED Consulting
• Group Training Association of Victoria (GTA)
• Tourism Alliance Victoria
SED and GTA will conduct the program across all sectors while Tourism Alliance Victoria will concentrate on businesses in the hospitality and tourism sectors.
For micro businesses (under 5 employees), a toolkit of core workforce planning resources is also
available through the Business Victoria website www.business.vic.gov.au/mybusinessmypeople
This includes:
• Recruitment guidelines
• How to advertise a job
• Job description templates
• Training and development plans
• Workforce planning templates
Mr Theophanous said the program was developed to provide practical support for the growing number of small businesses in Victoria in managing their workforce through:
• Recruiting the right people
• Retaining quality staff
• Improving staff training and development
• Developing management capabilities
"Finding the best staff with the best qualifications can be a daunting task for a small business owner," said Mr Theophanous.
"This initiative will help small businesses find and keep valued employees. For example, the government will provide financial assistance for training managers on recruitment strategies.
"Under this initiative, businesses will now be able to get a workforce planning specialist to visit their site and conduct a free assessment of their workforce needs to produce a tailored plan."
My Business, My People is part of the $241 million Maintaining the Advantage: Skilled Victorians package, launched by the Premier last year.
Small business operators can find out more about this program by calling 13 22 15 or visiting
http://www.business.vic.gov.au/mybusinessmypeople
