ANZSOG’s tailored education programs designed to meet public sector needs

Developing capacity is a challenge for all public sector organisations, as their roles change in an increasingly complicated environment.

Individual organisations have different capacity-building needs: from programs for senior executives, to broader programs aimed at building a united organisational culture in agencies.

ANZSOG has continued to expand its education offerings in recent years to develop tailored education programs and applied research projects designed in conjunction with agencies to meet their specific development needs.

These programs complement ANZSOG’s foundation programs, such as the Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) and Executive Fellows Program (EFP), utilising some of the same academics and practitioners as well as others from our broad network.

ANZSOG’s tailored learning education programs are continuing while factoring in coordinated and responsible actions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With Australia and New Zealand in varying stages of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ANZSOG is exploring options for these tailored education programs to be adapted for online and remote delivery.

ANZSOG’s Director of Government Relations Jude Barling said that ANZSOG’s connections with governments, practitioners and academics gave it a unique ability to tailor education programs.

“We know how government works, and we can sit down with agencies and help design a program that focuses on the specific capabilities they want to develop, and which reflects the environment they work in,” she said.

“We can then work with our network of academics and practitioners to deliver it in the way which best suits the organisation.

“As well as being designed specifically for that agency, a tailored course means high numbers of leaders or mid-level managers from the one organisation are learning about the same concepts and techniques. That spreads new thinking right across the agency and can drive a cultural change.”

Programs use a range of teaching techniques including immersive learning, guided and small-group discussions to develop management and leadership capabilities. They focus on real-world challenges and policy issues, and the use of senior practitioners, often former senior public servants, give participants an honest and eye-opening insight into issues including:

crisis management
how to navigate complex policy challenges
using evidence to inform policy
and dealing with integrity breaches and working with ministerial offices.

ANZSOG has worked with a range of agencies to build tailored education programs, including the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, the Australian Taxation Office, the National Transport Commission, and the City of Port Philip (a local government in Victoria).

Participants have benefited from the insights of ANZSOG faculty including the University of Melbourne Professor Janine O’Flynn, ANZSOG Associate Dean and former Victorian department head Professor Gill Callister PSM and ANZSOG Associate Dean and former Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet deputy secretary Lin Hatfield Dodds. Other program leaders have included Professor of Public Administration at Utrecht University and Associate Dean of the Netherlands School of Public Administration in The Hague, Paul ‘t Hart, former CEO of the UK’s National School of Government, Robin Ryde, and former New Zealand Prime Minister, Sir Bill English.

The recently completed program with the Tasmanian Government’s State Services Management Office has seen 96 senior leaders from across the state’s public sector agencies attend intensive workshops to increase their strategic thinking and leadership capabilities and build networks for future cooperation.

ANZSOG has also used its unique connections with India to develop a tailored program for the Victorian Government.

ANZSOG worked with the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) in Victoria to design the three-year Victoria India Government Exchange Program (VIGEP). In 2019, senior executives from Victoria visited the Indian State of Karnataka and began a partnership with their Karnataka counterparts to address public policy opportunities and challenges. The program focused on meeting the needs of DPC to create practical outcomes through bilateral engagements with an emphasis on innovation and digital transformation.

“Smart organisations recognise the importance of investing in their people. ANZSOG is using its unrivaled networks and experience in education for public sector leaders and managers to meet this growing demand by creating a broad range of tailored programs to suit the unique needs of different organisations,” Ms Barling said.

Contact us using the Tailored learning enquiry form to find out how we can design a solution for your organisation.