Career development and progression

It is important to support the career development and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees, so they can progress in their careers and meet their career goals. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employee representation across all levels is critical to the NSW public sector being an exemplar employer for Aboriginal people and truly reflective of the community it serves. 

Research commissioned in 2019 by the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, Navigating to senior leadership in the Australian Public Service: Identifying employment barriers and enablers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples outlines factors that impact on the progression of Aboriginal people to senior leadership roles. These include:

• clustering of Aboriginal senior leaders at lower senior executive bands, often in Aboriginal Identified roles
• limited opportunities in regions
• preconceptions and biases, prejudice, and pigeonholing
• poor management practice
• inadequate organisational commitment to diversity
• institutional biases
• engaging with two worlds and cultural load (especially difficult at senior executive levels)
• lack of networks at senior executive levels. 

The report recommends the following key enablers for career progression of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees:    

• increased accountability at the highest levels for improving progression
• employment targets at all levels and monitor progress
• mentoring, coaching, and sponsoring of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees 
• develop a greater number of senior roles and career opportunities
• clear pathways and plainly communicate expectations for career progression
• strong ‘value proposition’ specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees 
• utilise employee data and the employee surveys to monitor career progression.

Ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees are valued and supported in their career journeys also means genuinely listening to what Aboriginal employees experience as barriers to advancement and what they believe is required to overcome them.

Providing performance development feedback is important for all employees, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees. It is important to provide regular, direct, and honest feedback, while maintaining empathy for the person on the receiving end. It is important that feedback is respectfully provided and comes from a place of care. 

Performance development tips: 

• Have a proactive conversation with your Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees about the skills or exposure that would be beneficial for them and suggest opportunities and connections
• Put forward Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees for opportunities in different roles, not just identified roles, in order to increase their breadth of skills and experience 
• Give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees a seat at the table, letting them observe ‘how things are done’. Having a voice in the conversation is hugely impactful  
• Shadowing is a simple way of maximising impact for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees at all levels to enable them to observe different roles and help them make informed career decisions
• Actively learn from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees about their culture and lived experience.

Across the sector there are several reverse mentoring programs that aim to build cultural capability and cultural intelligence between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and non-Aboriginal employees. The programs also aim to support the career progression of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees. These programs encourage Aboriginal employees to share their culture and lived experiences in a safe and supportive environment and help non-Aboriginal understand the lived experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and what it means to walk between two worlds. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait employees face structural and systemic challenges in the workplace. Sponsorship is a key enabler for career development pathway that can support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees. We have a significant number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander senior leaders at the Band 1 level. To break the ceiling for them to reach Band 2 and beyond, senior executive sponsors are required to champion Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees into more senior roles.

Sponsors take an active role by acting as allies and advocates and using their personal and positional power to support and elevate another person who does not have access to this kind of power. Sponsors also support to address bias and barriers that impact career progression. 

Most agencies have an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employee Network that aims to provide a supportive, connected and culturally safe space for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees. Reach out to your agency’s People and Culture team for more information. The PSC can provide information on starting employee networks. 

We have established the Aboriginal Senior Leaders Network. The network is open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander NSW public sector leaders Clerk Grade 11/12 (or equivalent) and above. We host quarterly forums to connect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and support their career development. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander senior leaders have been involved in the co-design and ongoing development of the network.

Over 50 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders have attended each forum, providing positive feedback about the forums. Get in touch with us for more information or if you are an Aboriginal senior leader and you would like to join the network.  

The Leadership Academy’s Aboriginal Career and Leadership Development Program (ACLDP) is open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees from Clerk Grade 7/8 and above. The program creates a pipeline of future Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders for the sector. Since 2014, 447 employees have successfully completed the program For more information reach out to us. 

Alumni Program

The ACLDP Alumni Program enables past participants to continue to develop, connect and enhance their management skills through training and development sessions, peer support, networking, and information sharing. Upon completion of the ACLDP program, participants can opt in to receive updates about continuous learning opportunities for their ongoing professional development.