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Whole-of-government ICT career structure & ICT workforce plan FAQs

Answers to common questions

What is the Gershon Review?

In 2008 Sir Peter Gershon conducted a review of the Australian Government’s use and management of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Gershon reviewed and reported on the efficiency and effectiveness of the Australian Government’s current use of ICT. The purpose of this review was to determine whether the Government is realising the greatest return from its investments in ICT, and to examine whether the right institutional arrangements are in place to maximise the return.

Sir Peter’s report provided a comprehensive and detailed analysis of a wide range of issues affecting the Government’s use of ICT, and also outlined a staged plan for the implementation of specific recommendations. These FAQs deal with Recommendation 4, which states the need for:

Who is responsible for making this happen?

A cross-agency ICT Skills Reform Team from the Australian Public Service Commission (the Commission) and the Department of Finance and Deregulation (through the Australian Government Information Management Office) was established to implement this work. Now that the majority of implementation has occurred the ongoing work on Gershon Review projects is now being undertaken separately by teams within the Commission and the Australian Government Information Management Office.

Why is Recommendation 4 from the Gershon review important?

To employees:

The ICT career pathway benefits APS employees by providing:

  1. A more defined career pathway, including developing and training options;
  2. Clearer definitions and requirements of job roles;
  3. Professional recognition and agreed career categories against which APS staff can assess their skills and expertise;
  4. Greater opportunity to transfer skills between agencies and gain experience of new and interesting ICT projects through the introduction of standardised job categories;
  5. Potential opportunities for non-ICT staff to transfer their existing skills and knowledge into the ICT sector within the APS

To managers/leaders?

The ICT career pathway provides organisational leaders/managers with:

  1. Greater clarity in specific skills needs to meet specific job roles;
  2. A standardised set of measures and identified capabilities against which to conduct performance reviews;
  3. Consistent language to use in job advertisements.

The Whole-of-government ICT strategic workforce plan 2010-2013 [web] provides organisational leaders/managers with:

  1. Greater clarity and confidence in being able to plan future workforce needs, based on a standard set of job roles across government;
  2. More effective strategies to attract and retain staff, using the tools and techniques provided by AGIMO/APSC;
  3. The ability to better plan the peaks and troughs of ICT skilled staff as projects and priorities change;
  4. The ability to better identify existing ICT capabilities within the APS and utilise these more effectively;
  5. The ability to better identify and manage risks – in relation to gaps in existing ICT capabilities and capacity, mapped against current and future needs;
  6. The ability to access qualified APS ICT staff who also have an understanding of government policies and processes.

What is the Whole –of-government ICT strategic workforce plan 2010-2013?

The Whole-of-government strategic ICT Workforce Plan 2010-2013 [web] provides a high level overview of the issues affecting the ICT workforce and strategies to address the future human capital needs of ICT employment in the Australian Public Service (APS). Using this plan, agencies will be better able to plan, develop and manage a qualified, satisfied and flexible ICT workforce, while providing an attractive career path for ICT professionals within the APS.

The whole-of-government strategic ICT Workforce Plan is underpinned by an ICT Capability Framework, which is built upon an internationally recognised ICT capability model – the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA). This capability framework also forms an essential component of the whole-of-government ICT Career Structure, which is another key deliverable from the ICT Reform Program. The framework represents an anchor point for people management processes within agencies and for the career planning of ICT professionals.

What is the purpose of an ICT career pathway?

The whole-of-government ICT career pathway maps a framework of the skills and capabilities required at the different ICT classification levels in the APS, providing ICT employees with a clear understanding of the performance requirements for each level.

The ICT career pathway also helps to establish a consistent language and understanding across APS agencies, creating common definitions for ICT roles, responsibilities and skill sets.

The career pathway supports the career and skills development of ICT employees in the APS. The pathway assists ICT employees to plan their careers by allowing them to track their current capability levels, identify possible career progressions, and provide relevant training and development options.

The framework delivers a toolset, which will include: capability profiles; self-assessment tools; career transition tools; and learning and development options. The toolset is available to all APS staff online.

Why would I use the career pathway?

As an APS employee, the ICT career pathway will provide you with the ability to achieve your career aspirations, and seek professional recognition for your skills, by providing clarity of job roles, performance expectations and training needs to meet possible gaps in your current capabilities.

Using the career pathway, you will be clear about your role in the organisation and how it relates to other non-ICT roles within the APS, and you are provided with the essentials tools and information to set and attain your career goals. The pathway will also support more structured career advancement.

These initiatives will assist your agency and ICT team to attract additional quality, skilled ICT professionals so you can be confident that you will be working with other leading professionals in your field.

Where can I find more information about the Gershon review and its recommendations?

For further information about the Gershon review and the ICT skills reform recommendations please contact ICTSkills@finance.gov.au.

Contact for information on this page: ICTSkills@finance.gov.au

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Last Modified: 21 October, 2011