For the first time, local and central government employees in the South Island can look forward to sharpening their skills in a series of workshops being run by their industry training organisation, Learning State, this month.

“We’re looking forward to bringing training to our southern clients,” says Learning State senior advisor and workshop coordinator, Patricia Brooking.

“Learning State is focusing much more on getting out to the regions, particularly since taking over the responsibilities of the former Local Government Training Industry Organisation in April this year.”

The first workshop kicks off in Christchurch on October 19 , with another nine following in quick succession. They’ll cover animal control, liquor licensing, administrative excellence, aspiring leadership, management and adult education and be held in Christchurch, Invercargill and Timaru.

Learning State has also opened the workshops to those people working in non-government organisations, contracted by the government to deliver services to the public.

The workshops are the formal components of broader workplace learning programmes, which lead to highly-regarded qualifications (registered on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework). They’re pitched at various levels of experience.

As well as attending up to six workshops within the time-span of a  learning programme (most take 12 months), those who sign on will learn through practical workplace assignments, on-the-job coaching and mentoring and some self-directed study.

“The emphasis is on learning in the workplace,” says Patricia. “This is a great way of enabling government employees to boost their skills on the job, enhance the quality of their services to the public and earn a qualification in the process.”

“The dividends are well documented. Employees with the opportunity of professional development are more engaged, perform better and stay longer, in turn enabling their organisations to deliver better services to the public.  On a personal level, it’s also a valuable way of forging a career path.”

Learning State is keen to extend the workshops to other parts of the South Island, depending on the level of interest.

The first 10 workshops are:

Administering excellence Business administration October 19 and 21  Invercargill (level s 3 and 4), October 25 , Christchurch (level 5)

Effective compliance Animal control  October 27and 28  , Christchurch (levels 2 and 4)

Liquor licensing  October 28, Timaru

Meeting the challenge Aspiring leaders October 27, Invercargill

Management (first-line)  October 28 , Invercargill

Adult education October, Christchurch  (date to be confirmed).