NESA CEO FORUM 2022
TUESDAY 4 OCTOBER | SOFITEL SYDNEY WENTWORTH
EVENT SUMMARY
Our pre-conference CEO Forum is a unique opportunity for CEOs and senior leaders in our sector to consider strategic issues and opportunities facing our industry.
Attendees will:
• Hear from thought leaders on issues impacting our economy and consider the implications for our work
• Get direct feedback from Sally Sinclair on the Jobs Summit and what it means for our sector
• Contribute to building the industry perspective on the Government’s White Paper on Full Employment
• Engage on issues associated with the House Select Committee on Workforce Australia Employment Services
See you at #NESACEOFORUM22 !
Event Details
- NESA CEO Forum - Tues 4 Oct | 1.00pm - 5.00pm
- Welcome Reception - Tues 4 Oct | 5.30pm
- Day 1 & 2 NESA National Conference 2022 - Wed 5 & Thurs 6 Oct | 9.00am
- Gala Awards for Excellence Dinner - Wed 5 Oct | 7.30pm
- VENUE: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
Visit our conference event page for more information
2022 NESA Awards for Excellence
NOMINATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED
Importance of the Awards
Since their implementation in 2004, the NESA Awards for Excellence have highlighted the commitment the employment services sector has made to improve individuals’, families’ and our communities’ economic and social well-being through employment inclusion. The Awards are an opportunity to showcase employment services providers’ service delivery strategies and innovation excellence, and the very real impacts that result from their efforts.
The NESA Awards for Excellence:
- Foster high standards and provide a benchmark for excellence within the employment services sector
- Recognise employers who demonstrate excellence in the recruitment and retention of disadvantaged job seekers in partnership with employment services providers
- Encourage employers to adopt and support employment services programs
- Honour job seekers who have overcome disadvantage to obtain and sustain employment
- Provide role models for other job seekers
- Recognise employment services professionals who demonstrate excellence in the conduct of their role
- Promote professional development within the employment services sector
- Enlighten the wider community about the adversity and disadvantage that are experienced by unemployed people and the effort required to overcome barriers to achieve employment
- Reinforce the value of the sector, fostering job seeker, employer and public confidence
Award Finalist Benefits
- The right to use NESA’s Awards Seal on collateral for two years
- Promotion in national, state and local media
- A high quality, framed certificate for all finalists
- Greater recognition within the sector and with key external stakeholders
- Invitation to the VIP-only Champion’s Reception held immediately prior to the Gala Awards Dinner
- One ticket to attend the Gala Awards Dinner for each finalist or finalist representative
- The finalists for Employment Consultant and Achiever of the Year are provided with travel** and one night’s accommodation to attend the NESA Awards for Excellence Ceremony.
In addition to Finalist Benefits, Winners of each Award Category Receive:
- A prestigious Award Trophy
- An Awards Seal and guidelines for use to promote the win
- Promotion on NESA’s website and inclusion in the Annual Report
- Additional PR campaigns
The Employment Consultant who nominated the Achiever of the Year is also provided travel and one night’s accommodation to accompany their nominee to the NESA Awards for Excellence.
All required airfares are return economy from the finalist’s closest major, regional or metropolitan airport.
Transport to and from the airport and event venue are at the nominee’s expense.
Champion Employer of the Year finalists do not receive travel or accommodation to attend the NESA Awards for Excellence.
The Awards Winners will be
announced at the NESA
Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner
Wednesday 5 October 2022
SOFITEL SYDNEY WENTWORTH
Entry Rules and Guidelines
General Eligibility
Applicable to all Award categories
- All Awards relate exclusively to activities undertaken within the 2021 – 2022 financial year (the “Qualifying Period”).
- All Awards are open to current NESA members and the job seekers and employers assisted by them
- Nominees must also meet the Specific Eligibility Requirements for the Award category in which they are nominated
- All submissions and supporting information are treated as confidential
- Assessment of nominations is managed according to the NESA Awards for Excellence Judging Process
- Multiple nominations are encouraged with a separate submission required for each nomination
- Where an Award category permits team nominations, “team” is defined as at least 2 people working together to achieve specified outcomes, e.g.:
- A work group, office or branch of a single organisation
- A geographically based group (e.g. LGA or employment area)
- A collaboration between two or more organisations
By submitting a nomination to the NESA Awards for Excellence, you:
- Give permission to NESA and its Awards Convenors to describe your achievements at the Gala Awards Dinner and to promote your achievements to the media
- Understand that your identity and that of the submitting organisation will be disclosed during the Awards process
- Are granting NESA permission to reproduce supplied photographs (except where otherwise requested), the organisation’s logo and non-pecuniary information from your submission
- Understand that your contact details may be shared with official members of the media pursuing stories regarding the awards and award nominees
- Agree to abide by the judging panel decisions and accept that there will be no appeals
- Agree to attend the Awards presentation in person or virtually subject to travel restrictions (e.g. COVID-19, natural disaster) or significant personal circumstances.
Note: NESA or its Awards Convenors will contact finalists for the Achiever of the Year category or their representatives to review the nomination and agree on the information that is permitted to be shared with the media or used in NESA communications.
NESA retains the right to:
- Contact finalists prior to the Awards presentation as deemed necessary
- Withdraw the granting of a particular honour if the award entrant or nominated representative is not present to accept the award in person or virtually
- Withdraw from judging any submissions received through a nominating organisation that goes into administration, voluntary receivership, liquidation or is declared bankrupt after the awards closing date.
Nominations must include:
- An answer to each criterion
- Uploaded files where they have been requested
- A quality head and shoulders photograph or other suitable image of the nominee for individual nominees, or a quality group photograph or image for team nominees if applicable
AWARD CATEGORIES
Achiever of the Year
SUPPORTED BY NESA
Category Description:
Category Eligibility:
In addition to the criteria set out in General Eligibility, this Award is open to former job seekers who:
- received employment assistance from a provider of an Australian Government employment services program or service during the qualifying period
- achieved employment in one or more concurrent jobs with sufficient hours and/or income to achieve a full employment outcome in accordance with the requirements of the program/service in which the job seeker was engaged at the time of their placement into employment. (Note, the job seeker’s placement may have occurred prior, but the outcome must have been achieved during the Qualifying Period.)
- continues in sustained substantive employment on the date of the awards – 5 October 2022
Please ensure selection criteria responses focus on the former job seeker (rather than the organisation or Consultant assisting them). The former job seeker must be aware of their nomination, and we recommend that completion of the submission occur in partnership with them.
CHAMPION EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR
SUPPORTED BY JOBSBANK
Category Description:
This Award recognises employers who demonstrate excellence in employment inclusion of disadvantaged job seekers.
Category Eligibility:
In addition to the criteria set out in General Eligibility, this Award is open to employers who were assisted to recruit staff and nominated by an Employment Services provider of any Australian Government contracted employment program or service, during the Qualifying Period.
EMPLOYMENT CONSULTANT OF THE YEAR
SUPPORTED by Aware Super
Category Description:
This Award recognises employment services professionals who demonstrate excellence in helping disadvantaged Australians to achieve employment inclusion.
Category Eligibility:
In addition to the criteria set out in General Eligibility, this award is open to individuals who provided notable or outstanding employment assistance to job seekers and employers during the Qualifying Period through an Australian Government employment services program.
HOW TO SUBMIT
Award nominations are submitted online; via separate online portals for each Award Category, accessed via the APPLY NOW buttons above.
Before you start the online submission process, please ensure that:
- You have reviewed and meet the General Eligibility criteria (link above), as well as the Specific Eligibility requirements for the Award category which you are nominating
- You have read the Selection Criteria for the award category which you are nominating
- You have read the Entry Rules and Guidelines
Instructions and tips for how to submit:
The online submission form must be completed in one pass; you cannot save a partial response and return to it later.
Please have the following information prepared, before starting your online submission.
- Photo of the entrant (where required)
- Contact details of the primary person responsible for the submission
- Selection Criteria responses, including any documents for upload.
- In your selection criteria responses, please refer to your organisation using exactly the same namethat is entered in the “Nominating Organisation” field in the nomination form. Do not use abbreviations, alternative trading names or shortened forms.
- For any criteria with a word limit provided, please have your responses prepared in a separate electronic text document that you can then copy and paste into each individual text box in the online submission form. Your response/s will not be accepted if you exceed the word limit. Your word count is displayed for each response.
- Supporting material – You may provide up to five A4 pages of evidence to support the claims made in the nomination. Please combine all supporting material into a single document (.pdf or .doc(x) files). Cross-referencing supporting material in the criteria response is essential. Supporting information may include, but is not limited to, photos, data, graphs, and copies of commendations or other letters of recognition.
- Any documents to be uploaded must not exceed 10MB per file.
Upon completion of your submission, an e-mail will automatically be sent to the primary person (nominated in your submission) to confirm successful receipt of your nomination. The confirmation e-mail will include a copy of your submission, including file attachments for your own records.
(If you do not receive the confirmation e-mail immediately, please check your e-mail Junk folder or SPAM filtering systems prior to contacting NESA on 03 9624 2300.)
HAVE YOU CONSIDERED...
Your organisation may be eligible for more than one award?
AWARDS JUDGING
The NESA Awards for Excellence judging process is rigorous, transparent, and taken very seriously by the Independent Judging Panel. Judges invited to participate in the Awards are people who have notable expertise in relevant areas such as recruitment, business, health, community services and social inclusion. Revision of the Award assessment process occurs annually to ensure we uphold the highest standards of integrity.
Every nomination is subject to a comprehensive and rigorous assessment process using a standardised scoring and weighting system with auditing, variance, and due diligence checks to ensure consistency with the Award criteria. NESA announces a maximum of three finalists for each award category. The judging panel will exclude nominations that do not achieve an acceptable benchmark score from the determination of finalists. At their discretion, the judging panel may identify nominations worthy of additional commendation, recognition, or Award. A panel of at least two judges, including an Award Convenor, undertakes assessment of each Award category. Each judge independently assesses each nomination in the category, scoring each criterion and providing written comments including feedback on how to strengthen the nomination.
After assessment of all nominations for the category are complete, the Award Convenors conduct an audit, crosschecking all scores given by the category judging panel to identify any inconsistencies in scoring. Where this occurs, Award Convenors review the nomination before contacting the judge(s) to discuss the rationale for their score. As appropriate, the Award Convenor may convene a deliberation conference to discuss the nomination(s) or criteria for which scoring has been discordant and/or request a re-assessment by one or more judges.
Following finalisation of the assessment process, the top three nominations are announced as Award category finalists. Announcement of Award winners of each category occurs at the Gala Awards Dinner held in conjunction with the NESA National Conference.
NESA staff support the judging process but do not participate in the assessment of or review nominations. Management of nominations occurs with strict confidentiality processes in place.
INTRODUCING THE JUDGING PANEL
Sean Armistead
Sean Armistead is an Indigenous executive with experience in strategy and innovation across corporate, government and Indigenous community sectors.
He has worked with many of Australia’s top brands; Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade, CareerTrackers, Hewlett Packard (Asia Pacific), KPMG and Crown Resorts.
At a community level:
Chair of Ganbina – Agents of Change, a school to work transition program for Indigenous youth
Board Member of Kinaway Aboriginal Chamber of Commerce
Board Member of Killara Foundation
Council Member of University of Melbourne Alumni Council
Cofounder and former Board member of CareerTrackers Indigenous Internship Program. Former Board of Worawa Aboriginal College, Tarwirri Indigenous Lawyers Association.
Sean is currently Executive Director at Indigenous Business Australia.
Michelle Crawford
Michelle Crawford has a wealth of knowledge and experience garnered over 30 years working, leading and inspiring others in the community sector. She is highly regarded for the energy and commitment she brings to partnerships with a diverse and complex range of stakeholders, including corporates, governments, philanthropists, donors and community organisations. Michelle is currently CEO of Concern Australia, an organisation with a rich legacy of working with vulnerable young people and children in the areas of education; housing and homelessness; and youth justice (www.conceraustralia.org.au).
Michelle is passionate about discovering fresh, sustainable, and innovative responses that address the needs of our most marginalised members of the community. She has decades of experience working collaboratively with purpose-driven organisations addressing injustice and inequality, work she sees as fundamental and necessary for fairer and inclusive communities of today and tomorrow.
Michelle currently serves as a Director on the Board of First Nations Foundation and Specialisterne Australia. She is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and an Alumnus of Leadership Victoria’s Williamson Community Leadership Program, Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership, Workforce Innovation & Development Institute and Harvard University, John F Kennedy School of Government. Michelle holds a Masters in Social Science, Graduate Diploma in Adult Education and Bachelor of Business. She is also an active Rotarian.
Peter Laver, AM
This has included for organisations such as the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, National Board of Employment Education and Training, Victorian Learning and Employment Skills Commission, Community Advisory Council for the Community Support Fund, and the Prime Minister’s Science Prizes. In addition, he provides voluntary expertise to many not-for-profit organisations.
Judges' Top Five Tips
Tip 1.
Take time to read and understand the criteria thoroughly – analyse the criteria to ensure you understand exactly what is required in your response. If you are unsure clarify the criteria with NESA.
Tip 2.
Make sure your response fully addresses the criteria. For instance, if a question asks you to provide a timeline then ensure you detail the response chronologically.
Tip 3.
Avoid writing expansive, sweeping claims or generic declarations. Such statements actually undermine the strength of a nomination, as typically, they contain very little substance and cannot be either proven or disputed.
Tip 4.
Be specific about your or the nominee’s achievements. Provide evidence to support your claims against the criteria and wherever possible use more than one statistic to prove the point. There are many forms of evidence that you can use to support your claims; data, performance reports, letters of commendation, case studies or examples – choose the form that best relates to the criterion and if the criterion asks for specific evidence e.g. data or a case study, provide what is asked for. If you use the option to upload supporting material, ensure you cross-reference the evidence in the criteria responses and clearly title the uploaded attachment.
Tip 5.
If you are writing about yourself, then be yourself. Judges want to get to know you from the pages of your nomination. They want to gain insight into the type of person you are e.g. your values and passion for what you do. If you are writing about someone else be sure to capture the real person in the nomination. We recommend that completion of nominations occur in partnership with nominees to ensure as much information about them as possible is captured in your submission.
IMPORTANT DATES
Applications open: NOW OPEN!
Applications close: MONDAY 5 SEPTEMBER 2022 | 5.00PM AEST
Judging: 6 – 20 SEPTEMBER 2022
Finalists announced: 26-30 SEPTEMBER 2022
Winners announced (at the Gala Awards Dinner): WEDNESDAY 5 OCTOBER 2022
By placing an entry in the Awards, the submitting organisation is confirming their commitment for a nominating Employment Consultant to attend the Awards for Excellence in person (or virtually upon special request) on Wednesday 5 October at the Sofitel Wentworth in Sydney.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Are the Awards open to all employment programs?
The NESA Awards are to honour the work of the entire employment services sector and open to all NESA Member providers delivering any Australian Government contracted employment service or program.
The Awards cover all employment programs however please check each award category description and specific eligibility criteria.
Can I enter multiple candidates for one award?
Yes. NESA member organisations are encouraged to enter more than one nomination within a category.
Can I enter one candidate in more than one award?
Yes. NESA member organisations are encouraged to enter nominees across all categories for which they are eligible however, a unique submission is required for each award.
Can I re-enter a candidate from previous years?
Yes, provided the candidate meets the eligibility criteria.
Can we submit a few days late?
No. In the interest of fairness to all participants, no late entries will be accepted.
Who can I ask questions about the Awards?
NESA staff do not participate in the assessment of nominations and are available to answer general questions about the Awards, Award Categories, Criteria and lodgement of your nomination. In the interest of fairness and transparency questions lodged with NESA will be shared via the FAQ to ensure all potential nominees have access to the information.
The former job seeker that I would like to nominate for the Achiever of the Year award will only have completed their 13 week outcome by the closing date of the nominations. Are they still eligible for nomination?
Yes they are still eligible for nomination, however their nomination may not be scored highly in comparison to other nominated job seekers who have completed their full 26 week employment outcome.
Can videos be submitted as part of my nomination?
No, video files or online links to videos will not be accepted as part of nomination criteria or as supporting material.
THANK YOU TO OUR award SPONSORS
CONTACT US
GENERAL ENQUIRIES
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NESA CEO FORUM AND
PRACTITIONERS CONFERENCE
Excellence in Employment Services
Policy, Programs and Practice
Nine months. It will be nine months since the launch of Workforce Australia. It’s now time for a deep-dive into our programs, policy and practice. That’s why we’re looking forward to seeing you at our twin events at the Pullman Hotel, Albert Park, Melbourne
NESA CEO Forum
4 April 2023 | 9.00am - 5.00pm
Our CEO Forum brings together our provider CEO’s from across the country. We’ll be joined by Julian Hill MP, Member for Bruce and Chair of the Select Committee on Workforce Australia Employment Services for an update on the Committee’s work, as well as DEWR’s Deputy Secretary Employment and Workforce, Nathan Smyth, for an in-depth look at the first nine months of Workforce Australia.
NESA Practitioners Conference
5 April 2023 | 9.00am - 5.00pm
NESA CEO Farewell Dinner
4 April 2023 | 6.00pm - 10.00pm
Windows Restaurant, Pullman Melbourne, Albert Park
FULLY BOOKED - REGISTRATIONS NOW CLOSED
SESSIONS AND WORKSHOPS INCLUDE:
NESA CEO FORUM:
• An update on Workforce Australia arrangements
• From Zero to Hero – Building Your Organisation’s reputation & credibility through Media
• Hear more on the current progress of the House of Representatives Select Committee Process
• Unpacking the research: latest insights from Australia and internationally
…and more!
NESA PRACTITIONERS CONFERENCE:
• Workforce Australia Update: Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
• Tackling the tech skills shortage, how to get to 1.2 mill by 2030
• Quality and Assurance Analytics
• PBAS – Where Are We Now?
• ParentsNext
• Staying Secure in a Digital World: Exploring the Impact, Threats and Responses to Cyber Security.
• Provider Performance – Workforce Australia Services
• Activation and Work for the Dole
• Supporting Complex Participants: A Workshop on Integrating Participant Barriers & Goals
• Launch of the first ever book on Employer Engagement in Employment Services
• Disability Employment Services
• Workforce Australia – Transition to Work
• Employability Skills Training (EST) And Career Transition Assistance (CTA)
• Discrimination – When the Law Meets Reality
• Resilience with Wellbeing
SPEAKERS - CEO FORUM
Member for Bruce and Chair of the Select Committee on Workforce Australia Employment Services
Julian Hill was elected as the Member for the Bruce electorate in the Australian Parliament in 2016 and re-elected in 2019 and 2022. After growing up in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs, Julian graduated from Monash University with degrees in Science and Law. Among his Parliamentary responsibilities including chair of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit – watching over the Auditor-General’s office, Commonwealth finances, and public administration, and Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade – Defence subcommittee, Julian also chairs the Select Committee on Workforce Australia Employment Services which is current engaged in looking at employment services across Australia.
Few economists have both the global and local experience of Stephen Koukoulas. He is an economic thought leader in his role with his business, Market Economics. Stephen is often driving the debate on housing, consumer spending, investment strategies, interest rates and budget policy. He does this by drawing on his unique background including his experience heading global research for TD in London, his role as Chief Economist of Citibank and Former Senior Economic Advisor to the Australian Prime Minister. When it comes to the economy, Stephen continues to cover the big issues. He does so independently, without the constraints of many of the bank economists who are limited by what they can say. Stephen’s views are presented without fear or favour. Stephen is the go-to economist for many businesses, investors, fund managers and the media. He is a regular contributor to Yahoo Finance and appears on television including the ABC, The Project and Sky and is regularly called upon to contribute to radio interviews across the country. As a keynote speaker and panellist Stephen is asked to discuss the economy with audiences as diverse as the corporate world to school students – an affirmation of his ability to turn complex economic analysis into terms mere mortals can understand. Independent. Impartial. Entertaining.
Mark Considine is Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of Melbourne. He is best known for prize-winning research on public sector reform, new methods of governance and the street-level delivery of public programs. He and his team have pioneered work on the long-run institutional impacts of different service delivery regimes. Mark has also had a significant career in leadership roles within higher education and as a contributor to policy innovation inside government and in civil society organisations.
Director of Good Talent Media
Founder and Director of Good Talent Media, Tony Nicholls, is an accomplished journalist with more than ten years’ experience with the ABC, SBS and Network Ten; covering thousands of news stories across Victoria, Australia, and the international media.
Tony has seen the rise of digital media transform communications and the news cycle forever; making new demands of journalists, politicians, and media spokespeople. Riding the wave of change, Tony understands old-fashioned news values as well as what drives the new digital media landscape.
Tony has had the privilege of interviewing Australia’s movers and shakers – the people who have shaped news bulletins. Most importantly, Tony understands what a story needs to make it to air or print.
As Director of Good Talent Media, Tony creates all media training programs personally; he knows what interview questions you’ll be asked, what the media wants, and how best to deliver an impactful message.
UoM-BSL Principal Research Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne.
Associate Professor Sue Olney is the UoM-BSL Principal Research Fellow in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne, and a Visiting Fellow in the Public Service Research Group in the School of Business at UNSW Canberra. Her research examines the impact of market-based reform of public services on marginalised citizens, with a focus on disability services, employment and the welfare-to-work service system. Sue has worked in universities, government and in the not-for-profit sector, and been involved in a range of cross-government, cross-sector and interdisciplinary research projects, government and community sector initiatives, committees and working groups to promote access and equity in employment, education, training and disability services in Australia and internationally. She is on the editorial board of the Australian Journal of Public Administration and is the Director of the social policy discussion platform Power to Persuade.
Lecturer in Political Science in the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne
Michael McGann is Lecturer in Political Science in the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne. He specialises in the governance of welfare and active labour market policies, with a particular focus on issues related to the contracting out and marketization of employment services in Australia as well as internationally. He is the co-author of Buying and Selling the Poor: Inside Australia’s Privatised Welfare-to-Work Market (Sydney University Press, 2021) and author of the new book, The Marketisation of Welfare-to-Work in Ireland: Governing Activation at the Street-Level.
Jo is an Associate Professor of Human Resource Management at Deakin Business School. Her research focuses on employment and skills and the workplace inclusion of under-leveraged talent and she teaches on Australia’s first undergraduate Major in Recruitment and Talent Acquisition. Jo has been awarded a number of grants in the UK and Australia, including current projects on creating sustainable employment pathways for Aboriginal communities and Social Ventures Australia’s Employer Labs. In 2023 she begins ARC Linkage and UK Research Council grants focused on employers, job quality and employment services. Jo is a Fellow of the Institute of Employability Professionals and co-chairs the UK Employment Related Services Association’s Employer Engagement Forum. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Chartered Academic Member of the Australian Human Resource Institute and Editor of the journal Work, Employment and Society.
SPEAKERS - PRACTITIONERS CONFERENCE
FIRST ASSISTANT SECRETARY, WORKFORCE AUSTRALIA FOR INDIVIDULAS
Melissa Ryan is the First Assistant Secretary, Workforce Australia for Individuals. Her responsibilities include the design and implementation of Workforce Australia, which commenced in July 2022. Melissa has held senior roles in a range of Commonwealth departments and has worked across a broad range of public policy issues, including social services program reforms; industrial relations, workers’ compensation, work health and safety regulation; and income support program administration.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
“A tour bus is a petri dish of human behaviour, and is the best way to get to know exactly how to work with all different types of people”
How do you go from being an industry trainer and leader across Europe for Contiki Holidays to being one of the most sought after keynote speakers and professional trainers in Australia and the Asia Pacific? That is the question asked often of Mark and the answer he says is simple, it is all about understanding people. Understanding how they behave, think and make the choices they do, both professionally and personally.
As an experienced motivational keynote speaker it’s this understanding that has seen Mark hold senior and strategic leadership development roles for major global players across the Asia Pacific and Europe and led to him to being invited to work on projects design and implement sales strategies and bespoke methodologies for billion-dollar sales teams across the globe. Add to that some serious hard work and that is how in twenty years Mark has moved from connecting with people in Europe to connecting with people in their own lives, all as a guest speaker and trainer.
Tim Lane is currently Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Tursa Employment and Training and Co-Chair of the newly formed NESA Cyber Security Special Interest Group (CSIG). Tim has an extensive background in Cyber Security with over 23 years’ experience across disparate technologies in private enterprise, local government, the Higher Education and Research sector and more recently in the Not-for-Profit space. A core area of interest is demystifying the topic of cyber at both an individual and organisational level, in order to empower people to take strategic and practical steps to help fortify cyber security nationally.
Belinda Catelli is a senior executive in the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations with over 18 years’ experience in developing and implementing policy and managing programs in the Education and Employment sectors. As Assistant Secretary, Activities and Experience Branch, Belinda has responsibility for looking after key activities such as Career Transition Assistance, Employability Skills Training, and Work for the Dole, as well as the quality of the digital experience for individuals engaging with Workforce Australia Online. Before her current role, Belinda’s most recent achievement was leading the transition arrangements to Workforce Australia. Belinda takes a client-centric approach to her work and enjoys engaging with stakeholders and collaborating with her peers and across all levels of Government to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome.
Director of Maguire Consulting and Maguire Legal
Paul Maguire, a lawyer is the Director of Maguire Consulting and Maguire Legal, specialising in employee relations’ advice, representation, human resource management and business development. Paul has been a trusted adviser to NESA and the employment services industry since 2000. Amongst his achievements has been overseeing the making of the modern Labour Market Assistance Industry Award at the Fair Work Commission, establishing Employee Relations Online, the industry workplace relations advice service, and conducting the bi-annual National Survey of Remuneration and HRM Performance. Paul is also the author of HR for small business for Dummies. His business practice has a national focus advising and representing organisations throughout Australia.
Director, Activities and Experience, DEWR
Anna Hemmings is an experienced executive leader responsible for work experience programs and activation requirements for provider-managed participants. Anna has worked for the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations in various portfolios over the past 18 years. Her first role was in the Employment group, and she returned in 2021 to continue to develop and implement programs and initiatives to support people into long-term sustainable employment.
Jo is an Associate Professor of Human Resource Management at Deakin Business School. Her research focuses on employment and skills and the workplace inclusion of under-leveraged talent and she teaches on Australia’s first undergraduate Major in Recruitment and Talent Acquisition. Jo has been awarded a number of grants in the UK and Australia, including current projects on creating sustainable employment pathways for Aboriginal communities and Social Ventures Australia’s Employer Labs. In 2023 she begins ARC Linkage and UK Research Council grants focused on employers, job quality and employment services. Jo is a Fellow of the Institute of Employability Professionals and co-chairs the UK Employment Related Services Association’s Employer Engagement Forum. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Chartered Academic Member of the Australian Human Resource Institute and Editor of the journal Work, Employment and Society.
Sonya McCarthy is the acting Assistant Secretary of the Access and Participation Branch. The Branch is responsible for the policy relating to eligibility, assessments, mutual obligation requirements, including the operation and design of the new Points Based Activation System (PBAS), as well as the Targeted Compliance Framework. Sonya has over 30 years’ experience in the Department of Employment, starting her career as a trainee working on the front counter at the Commonwealth Employment Service. Sonya has significant experience in the Australian Public Services in areas of operational policy development, implementation, and program management. She has extensive experience in leading large implementation of change programs. Throughout her career, Sonya has had the privilege of implementing over 15 new employment initiatives and led the Transition to jobactive in 2015 and more recently PBAS. Sonya also has worked at Services Australia in the Participation Programmes & Compliance Branch. At the forefront of her mind when implementing programs or initiatives is the experience of the job seeker. Sonya is passionate about the work that she does, striving to support vulnerable Australians and their families when they need it most to help them to achieve their employment goals.
VICE PRESIDENT OF TECH TALENT SERVICES, AKKODIS
A seasoned recruitment leader with over a decade of business leadership experience and a strong passion for diversity and sustainability. Jaryd leads the Tech Talent division of Akkodis, a global smart industry leader and provide customers in Australia with access to the best technology professionals available. In 2023, Future Tech Talent Programs was launched to help bridge the gap and help solve the tech talent shortage in Australia by ensuring a pathway for reskilled, diverse talent is created.
HEAD OF TECH TALENT PROGRAMS, AKKODIS
Gemma’s career started in the Tech talent industry in London and with over 10 years’ experience, her passion for driving diversity and solving the persistent issue of tech talent shortage has become a key focus. Now Gemma’s unique approach to solving the tech talent shortage with Akkodis has helped to create a more inclusive and innovative tech industry, paving the way for the next generation of tech talent.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY, QUALITY ASSURANCE AND RISK MANAGEMENT, DEWR
Jodie has worked at DEWR in the Assurance Branch for four and a half years and is excited to be expanding our focus to quality. With a background in operational health care, starting as a Registered Nurse and moving into a range of roles in project management, system improvement and corporate leadership (including quality and safety) Jodie has a focus on working in partnership on a more front end quality and assurance approach, to enable early intervention and remediation.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY, EMPLOYMENT SERVICES PROGRAMS, DEWR
Samantha Robertson has responsibility for day to day management and oversight of employment programs which primarily target the most vulnerable job seekers. This includes Enhanced and Specialist Services under Workforce Australia, Transition to Work – the Youth Employment Service, the Time to Work Employment Service and Pre-Release Prisoner initiative aimed at those nearing the end of their incarceration and the ParentsNext program for those in receipt of Parenting Payment with a youngest child under school age.
Samantha has been a senior public servant in the Australian Public Service since 2004 and has a strong interest in evidence based policy with an extensive background in service delivery, policy and program development, implementation and management. Samantha has worked as a Ministerial Advisor and has worked in the Health and Education portfolios (including seven years with the National Health and Medical Research Council) and the Prime Minister’s department.
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, PARENTS NEXT, DEWR
Rebecca-Lee is an experienced leader in the ParentsNext team, having joined in September 2020. Her team is responsible for the overall management of the program and its underlying policy, and supporting providers to deliver the program successfully. Rebecca-Lee joined the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations in 2015 and has spent most of her time implementing and managing employment programs. Rebecca-Lee is passionate about her work and the impact that it has on Australian’s, their families and the broader community.
DIRECTOR, DEWR
Anna Ritson has worked in surveys, data and research for over 15 years. She has worked at the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on the National Social Housing Survey and on the National Prisoner Health survey conducted within custodial environments. She has been the Director of the Post-Program Monitoring team within the Evidence and Assurance Division of DEWR since June of 2021. The team conducts large-scale surveys to understand the labour force, education and employment tenure and satisfaction of employment services participants.
CEO & FOUNDER, CREATING NEW PATHWAYS
Sharon is the CEO and Founder of Creating New pathways (CNP). CNP design Professional Development Seminars specifically for Employment Services nationally. She has provided over 23000 hours of individual & group therapeutic sessions with mandated clients presenting with complex AOD, mental health and other psychosocial challenges. Clients with severe behavioural and mental health issues leave their first appointment with something they haven’t dared lean into for a long time…Hope.
She combines a unique blend of evidence-based methods, clinical expertise and a down to earth approach that gently challenges our most disadvantaged participants to reconsider their present pathway. With over 30 years of experience in the mental health and addiction sector, Sharon has worked as a clinician in the Employment & Community Services treating the most reluctant and complex participants. She is well sought after by providers and clients. Sharon is also a qualified instructional designer, lecturer & licenced Mental Health First Aid instructor and is currently delivering mental health and behavioural PD’s all over the country. She delivers Mental Health& Wellbeing Programs, to various industries, including Employment & Community Services, Corporate Industry, Emergency Services, Defence Departments And Allied Health Services.
A lecturer at tertiary level for Mental Health and AOD, Sharon also speaks at national conferences, Professional Development Seminars and has appeared on various national news and TV shows. She is the industry’s longest standing subject matter expert on working with clients with complex needs, mental health, addictions, and motivation. Her workshop will look at the issues from the consumer’s perspective because that’s the viewpoint we need to understand.
PROGRAM LEAD, CREATING NEW PATHWAYS
Montana is a qualified Social Worker and Therapist with experience in the fields of Trauma, Youth, Mental Health and Addiction. Whilst working in demanding mental health roles, Montana identified the importance of Staff Wellbeing & Staff Training- in order to provide the best care to clients. Her areas of interest are Neuroscience, Mental Ill Health Prevention, Dual Diagnosis, and Staff Training.
Through Creating New Pathways, Montana has designed and delivered training on topics such as Mental Health Essentials, Emotional Intelligence, Motivational Interviewing, and Substance Use Disorders. She is also a licensed Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor
ASSISTANT SECRETARY, WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, DEWR
Stuart is passionate about designing and implementing labour market programs, linking labour supply to labour demand through government interventions. He has over 30 years’ experience in tackling the complex challenges of linking people and employers to tailored pathways. He has worked across employment services, industrial relations, skills, education, human resources and leadership
Ag. BRANCH MANAGER, DES GRANTS, DSS
Tanya manages the Disability Employment Services (DES) Grants Branch at the Department of Social Services. She has 20 years experience in government working across a range of policy and program areas including disability and Indigenous employment, families and communities programs, the Indigenous Advancement Strategy and vocational education and training policy and programs.
DIRECTOR, EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS PROGRAM, DEWR
Peta Chapman is a director at the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations with 17 years’ experience in developing and implementing policy and managing programs in the employment sector. As director of the Employability Skills Programs Team, Peta has responsibility for looking after the Career Transition Assistance and Employability Skills Training programs, both key planks in the government’s employment services model. This is a role she enjoys immensely and finds challenging each day.
Before this current role, Peta held several roles in the department’s Assurance Branch; time well spent being educated about the fine balance between compliance, accountability and risk.
Peta has a strong commitment to stakeholder engagement and seeing that engagement reflected in shared solutions.
Director and founder of Dynamo Selling
Raimond is the Director and founder of Dynamo Selling, Australia’s leading sales success training organisation. Dynamo selling has won over 7 international and national awards including the prestigious International Gold Stevie award, and Winner of the Sales training company of the year in Australia in 2020 and 2021.
Raimond has over 25 years sales experience across SME and Corporate organisations in many industries including recruitment, pharmaceutical and finance.
Mindset plays a big part in Raimond’s sales training, as he strongly believes the right attitude is an integral part in a successful sales process. Raimond believes that with a solid sales process, a winning attitude and advanced communication skills, excellence can be achieved in any industry.
Raimond is also International Best-Selling Author in the Self‐Help industry, with his book “Success1010 For Living”. Shortly after its release, it became an international bestseller in 5 countries and has won 6 international book awards.
CEO, Brave Foundation
Jill Roche is an accomplished executive leader and passionate advocate for the intergenerational impact of Brave’s program to support expecting and parenting young people. As the CEO of Brave Foundation, she has been instrumental in driving the organisation’s mission to empower young parents and create a better future for children.
Jill’s journey began as a young single mother of twins, where she experienced first-hand the challenges and stigma faced by young parents and their children. Her early parenting years fuelled her passion to work with a focus on empowering families and children.
She brings a wealth of experience to her role as the CEO of Brave Foundation, having experience spanning not-for-profit, management consulting, information technology, and banking and financial services throughout her career. Before starting at Brave Foundation as Chief Operations Officer in 2019, Jill served as Chief of Corporate Affairs at World Vision.
Jill is deeply engaged with stakeholders including government agencies, corporations, and community organisations and understands the importance of collaboration in creating meaningful impact. She is energised by leading a team of passionate Brave employees and has deepened and broadened Brave’s reach and impact, having actively participated in relevant government inquiries and summits to highlight the value, needs and the potential of young parents.
Her passion, dedication, and commitment to creating a positive change in the lives of families are an inspiration to many. She deeply believes in Brave’s vision to create a world where the boundless potential of young parents can be unlocked so that every family has the opportunity to thrive.
Brave Foundation
Catherine joined Brave in April 2022 and was previously an Advanced Practice Lead and Social Work Coach at the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare. Catherine is passionate about improving opportunities for women who are parenting and experiencing adverse circumstances, as she is acutely aware of the barriers that young parents face having started her own parenting journey at 20.
Event Details
VENUE
PULLMAN MELBOURNE, ALBERT PARK
65 Queens Rd, Albert Park VIC 3004
CEO FORUM
TUESDAY 4 APRIL 2023
8.30am Registrations Open
5.00pm Forum Closes
CEO FAREWELL DINNER
TUESDAY 4 APRIL 2023
**FULLY BOOKED **
Windows Restaurant
Pullman Melbourne, Albert Park
Time: 6.00pm - 10.00pm
Attire: Cocktail
PRACTITIONERS CONFERENCE
WEDNESDAY 5 APRIL 2023
8.00am Registrations Open
9.00am Welcome to Country
5.00pm Conference Close
COST
NESA Member
CEO FORUM-
Attendance at the CEO Forum
-
Prices are inclusive of GST
-
NESA Member
PRACTITIONERS CONFERENCE-
Attendance at the Practitioners Conference
-
Prices are inclusive of GST
-
NESA Member
CEO FAREWELL DINNER-
Attendance at the CEO Farewell Dinner
-
Prices are inclusive of GST
-
Non-Member
CEO FORUM-
Attendance at the CEO Forum
-
Prices are inclusive of GST
-
Non-Member
PRACTITIONERS CONFERENCE-
Attendance at the Practitioners Conference
-
Prices are inclusive of GST
-
Non-Member
CEO FAREWELL DINNER-
Attendance at the CEO Farewell Dinner
-
Prices are inclusive of GST
-
THANK YOU TO OUR CONFERENCE SPONSOR
NESA Workshop
Workforce Australia Services -
Policy and Practice
Online workshop in five sessions
Commencing on Monday 15 May 2023, delivered consecutively over 5 sessions
11.00am AEST (10.00 AM SA & NT and 9.00am WA)
TARGET GROUP
Everyone from Consultant to CEO
SUMMARY
Success happens when our understanding of the ‘what’, ‘when’ and ‘why’ of Workforce Australia Services operational policy comes together with the ‘how’ – the skills and knowledge we need to build professional relationships based on trust and mutual respect with our participants and employers. We know that many of our participants are continually working through day to day challenges, so how do we work with them to maximise their chances of gaining meaningful employment? How do we work with employers to build opportunities for our people?
Join NESA’s Senior Policy Advisor, Damien Opolski, for a highly engaging, highly interactive and often challenging online workshop as we look at Workforce Australia Services – Policy and Practice. At this 5 consecutive part online workshop, we’ll explore the detail of the policy settings – from eligibility to exits and everything in between. Along the way we’ll ‘meet’ some very interesting participants and employers!
People completing this workshop will receive their first year of ESI membership FREE OF CHARGE!
LEARNING OUTCOMES
You’ll be able to build a detailed understanding of the Workforce Australia operational policy settings:
- Eligibility and Referral
- Job Plan and Mutual Obligation
- PBAS
- Activation
- Targeted Compliance Framework
- Employment Fund
- Complementary Programs
- Outcomes
- Exits
You’ll also learn about:
- Our changing labour market and the opportunities for our people
And, most importantly:
- The skills and knowledge we need to deliver services in the new world of Workforce Australia Services.
Facilitator
Damien Opolski
Many of you will know Damien from his time as the Director of the Department’s Learning Centre. He’s now NESA’s Senior Policy Advisor. Over the years he’s played a key role in the development and delivery of both policy and systems information and training. If you’ve been in the sector for a while you’ve most likely seen him at an information session or heard him via webinar.
Like many of us, Damien started his career on the ‘front line’. He’s conducted over 10,000 job seeker interviews and worked with hundreds of employers. That’s a lot of experience and a lot of experiences!
Damien has a Bachelor of Economics from Adelaide University, as well as Diplomas in Training and Assessment, and Project Management. He’s also a qualified Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages.
cost
TESTIMONIALS
“Content was relevant, lively discussions were had and trainer was, as always, brilliant and kept everyone’s attention. Great Day!”
“Thanks for the fascinating discussion. Great day.”
“Very insightful and engaging training. Damien was a really great presenter and has a wealth of knowledge and experience.”
“Everyone should attend!”
“I thoroughly enjoyed the day. Thanks very much Damien, I really enjoyed this course and found it really beneficial.”
OTHER
Please note that this is not IT training. The online workshop registration number will be capped
- Delivered via ZOOM
- Each ZOOM session lasts for approximately 90 minutes
- All participants will be emailed a Certificate of Attendance after completion
This workshop can be delivered face to face in-house in your premises, where it will be contextualised to reflect your organisational procedures and systems.
And don’t forget…
People completing this online workshop will receive their first year of ESI membership free of charge.
CONTACT US
For further information on NESA PD training events please contact Sue Testa: +61 3 9624 2311 | EMAIL
Employment Services Institute (ESI)
// Become an ESI member! \\
The ESI is a professional body dedicated to advancing practitioners’ career and professional standing as well as building recognition of the professionalism of the employment services sector, more broadly.
ESI membership is open to all who work or aspire to work in Employment Services or related sectors.
NESA PD BOOST SUBSCRIPTION
BOOST YOUR WORKFORCE CAPABILITY
Are you looking for ways for your staff to develop skills on a regular basis?
INTRODUCING NESA’S PD BOOST SUBSCRIPTION OFFER
EXCLUSIVE TO NESA MEMBERS
NESA TRAINING CATALOGUES
POST BUDGET LEADERSHIP FORUM
A NESA MEMBER ONLY EVENT
NESA will be holding a Post Budget Leadership Forum at QT Canberra on Thursday 8 June 2023.
The focus of the forum will be on key budget initiatives and strengthening our sector’s influence in shaping future employment services.
NESA has put together a powerhouse of speakers for our Post Budget Leadership Forum who will boost our ability to shape future employment services.
DATE: 8 June 2023
TIME: 9.30am for a 10am start. Concludes at 4pm (AEST)
VENUE: QT Canberra
ROOM: Ballroom 1
COST: $385pp (GST inc)
GUEST SPEAKERS
Our guest speakers are highly influential in Canberra’s halls of power. They are movers and shakers in economic policy, business and industry, and government relations. Our speakers will provide members with their highly sought after insights and strategies to elevate our advocacy impact during this critically important period of policy and program reform.
In addition, NESA is very pleased to have representatives of DEWR, DSS and NIAA join us to provide operational and policy updates with an opportunity for interactive Q&A in relation to their respective portfolios.
Simon Banks, Managing Director
Hawker Britton
Simon will share his wealth of experience to provide insights on working with government, how government decision making works and how to build effective and influential relationships with government.
A published commentator on public policy, Simon regularly comments on policy and political developments on both the ABC and Sky News.
Dr Daniel Mulino MP
Chair of the House of Representatives’ Standing Economics Committee
Dr Mulino will share his insights on the future economic/Budget outlook for Australia and how this may impact policy directions and priorities in relation to the future of work, employment, and related areas such as skills, training, and social services, including welfare.
Andrew McKellar, Chief Executive Officer
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI)
Andrew will share his in-depth knowledge of Australian business and industry needs and the challenges faced across the business sector providing insight into opportunities for stronger employer engagement and opportunities for collaboration and joint advocacy.
Katrina Chatham, Group Manager (Acting), Disability Employment and Carers
Katrina Chatham is the A/g Group Manager of the Disability Employment and Carers Group. Her responsibilities include overseeing the current Disability Employment Service program and the design of reforms to disability employment services to deliver better employment outcomes for people with disability. She is also responsible for policies and programs to support unpaid carers.
Katrina joined the Department of Social Services in January 2020. She has previously worked in the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Department of Education.
Kate Phipps, Branch Manager of Remote Employment Policy
Kate Phipps has worked in NIAA for the past 2 and a half years as Branch Manager for Business and Economic Policy and most recently leading the Remote Employment Policy Taskforce.
Prior to this, Kate worked in the Commonwealth Treasury for a number of years, including 3 years as Minister-Counsellor (Economic) at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo. Kate also worked at the Cape York Institute in Cairns in 2008-09 during the early implementation of the Cape York Welfare Reform Trials.
COST
NESA Member
POST BUDGET LEADERSHIP FORUM-
Attendance at Forum - 8 June 2023
-
Prices are inclusive of GST
-
NESA Member
POST BUDGET LEADERSHIP FORUM-
Attendance at Forum - 8 June 2023
-
Prices are inclusive of GST
-
NESA Member
POST BUDGET LEADERSHIP FORUM-
Attendance at Forum - 8 June 2023
-
Prices are inclusive of GST
-
NESA MEMBERSHIP
GET BEHIND THE SCENES OF AUSTRALIA’S WORLD LEADING EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
Not for profit, for profit, public sector organisations and RTOs who are actively engaged in the delivery of Australian employment services are eligible to apply for NESA membership.
If you are not already a NESA member and interested in joining, please click below for more information:
CONTACT US
For event or membership enquires please contact Shirley Fisher on + 61 3 9624 2300 or email her by clicking below.
NESA Awards for Excellence 2023
Importance of the Awards
Since being implemented in 2004, the NESA Awards for Excellence have highlighted the impact of employment services in partnership with employers and participants to improving the economic and social well-being of individuals, families and communities through employment inclusion.
The NESA Awards for Excellence:
- Foster high standards and provide a benchmark for excellence within the employment services sector
- Recognise employers who demonstrate excellence in the recruitment and retention of disadvantaged participants in partnership with employment services providers
- Encourage employers to adopt and support employment services programs
- Honour participants who have overcome disadvantage to obtain and sustain employment
- Provide role models for other participants
- Recognise employment services professionals who demonstrate excellence in the conduct of their role
- Promote professional development within the employment services sector
- Enlighten the wider community about the adversity and disadvantage experienced by unemployed people and the effort required to overcome barriers to achieve employment
- Reinforce the value of the sector, fostering participant, employer and public confidence
Award Finalist Benefits
- The right to use NESA’s Awards Seal on collateral for two years
- Promotion in national, state and local media
- A high quality, framed certificate for all finalists
- Greater recognition within the sector and with key external stakeholders
- Invitation to the VIP-only Champion’s Reception held immediately prior to the Gala Awards Dinner
- One ticket to attend the Gala Awards Dinner for each finalist or finalist representative
- The finalists for Employment Consultant and Achiever of the Year are provided with travel** and one night’s accommodation to attend the NESA Awards for Excellence Ceremony.
In addition to Finalist Benefits, Winners of each Award Category Receive:
- A prestigious Award Trophy
- An Awards Seal and guidelines for use to promote the win
- Promotion on NESA’s website and inclusion in the Annual Report
- Additional PR campaigns
The Employment Consultant who nominated the Achiever of the Year is also provided travel and one night’s accommodation to accompany their nominee to the NESA Awards for Excellence.
All required airfares are return economy from the finalist’s closest major, regional or metropolitan airport.
Transport to and from the airport and event venue are at the nominee’s expense.
Champion Employer of the Year finalists do not receive travel or accommodation to attend the NESA Awards for Excellence.
Award Winners will be Announced at the
NESA Awards for Excellence
Gala Dinner
Wednesday 11 October 2023, Sofitel Brisbane
Don't Forget to Purchase your Gala Awards for Excellence Dinner Ticket
AWARD CATEGORIES
Achiever of the Year
SPONSORED BY JOBSBANK
Category Description:
This Award recognises a former Participant who has overcome extraordinary disadvantage to achieve employment.
Category Eligibility:
Covers all applicable elements of the Overarching Award Eligibility Criteria below.
In addition, open to former Participants who:
- Received employment assistance from a provider of an employment program or service managed by the Australian Government: Department of Employment and Workplace Relations; Department of Social Services; or the National Indigenous Australians Agency and
- Achieved substantive employment resulting in achievement of a full employment outcome ** after 1 July 2022 and remains in sustained substantive employment on the date of the awards – 11 October 2023
“Substantive employment” is defined as employment in one or more concurrent jobs with sufficient hours and/or income to qualify for a full employment outcome.
“Full employment outcome” is in accordance with the requirements of the program/service in which the Participant was engaged at placement into employment.
** For clarity the Participants placement may have occurred prior to July 2022 but the outcome must have been achieved during the Awards qualifying period.
Please ensure selection criteria responses focus on the former Participant (rather than the organisation or Consultant assisting them). The former Participant must be aware of their nomination and consent to its submission in these awards. NESA recommends that completion of the submission occur in partnership with the nominated former Participant and they provide consent to share information.
CHAMPION EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR
SPONSORED BY READYTECH
Category Description:
This Award recognises employers who demonstrate excellence in employment inclusion of disadvantaged Participants.
Category Eligibility:
- That were assisted to recruit staff and nominated by a provider of a program or service managed by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations Department of Social Services; or the National Indigenous Australians Agency during the qualifying period: 1 July 2022 – 30 June 2023.
EMPLOYMENT CONSULTANT OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Aware Super
Category Description:
Category Eligibility:
Covers all applicable elements of the Overarching Award Eligibility Criteria below.
In addition, open to individuals:
- who provided employment assistance to Participants and employers in the qualifying period: 1 July 2022 – 30 June 2023
Entry Rules and Guidelines
General Eligibility
Applicable to all Award categories
- All Awards relate to activities undertaken during the qualifying period 2022 – 2023 financial year
- All Awards are open to current NESA members and the Participants and employers assisted by them
- Nominees must also meet the specific eligibility requirements for the Award category in which they are nominated
- All submissions and supporting information are treated as confidential
- Assessment of nominations is managed according to the NESA Awards for Excellence Judging Process
- Multiple nominations are permitted with a separate submission required for each nomination
By submitting a nomination to the NESA Awards for Excellence, you:
- Give permission to NESA and its Awards Convenors to describe your achievements at the Gala Awards Dinner and to promote your achievements to the media
- Understand that your identity and that of the submitting organisation will be disclosed during the Awards process
- Are granting NESA permission to reproduce supplied photographs (except where otherwise requested), the organisation’s logo and non-pecuniary information from your submission
- Understand that your contact details may be shared with official members of the media pursuing stories regarding the awards and award nominees
- Agree to abide by the judging panel decisions and accept that there will be no appeals
- Agree to attend the Awards presentation in person or virtually subject to travel restrictions (e.g. COVID-19, natural disaster) or significant personal circumstances.
Note: NESA or its Awards Convenors will contact finalists for the Achiever of the Year category or their representatives to review the nomination and agree on the information that is permitted to be shared with the media or used in NESA communications.
NESA retains the right to:
- Contact finalists prior to the Awards presentation as deemed necessary
- Withdraw the granting of a particular honour if the award entrant or nominated representative is not present to accept the award in person or virtually
- Withdraw from judging any submissions received through a nominating organisation that goes into administration, voluntary receivership, liquidation or is declared bankrupt after the awards closing date.
Nominations must include:
- An answer to each criterion
- Uploaded files where they have been requested
- A quality head and shoulders photograph or other suitable image of the nominee for individual nominees, or a quality group photograph or image for team nominees if applicable
HAVE YOU CONSIDERED...
Your organisation may be eligible for more than one award?
HOW TO SUBMIT
Award nominations are submitted online; via separate online portals for each Award Category, accessed via the APPLY NOW buttons above.
Before you start the online submission process, please ensure that:
- You have reviewed and meet the General Eligibility criteria (link above), as well as the Specific Eligibility requirements for the Award category which you are nominating
- You have read the Selection Criteria for the award category which you are nominating
- You have read the Entry Rules and Guidelines
Instructions and tips for how to submit:
The online submission form must be completed in one pass; you cannot save a partial response and return to it later.
Please have the following information prepared, before starting your online submission.
- Photo of the entrant (where required)
- Contact details of the primary person responsible for the submission
- Selection Criteria responses, including any documents for upload.
- In your selection criteria responses, please refer to your organisation using exactly the same namethat is entered in the “Nominating Organisation” field in the nomination form. Do not use abbreviations, alternative trading names or shortened forms.
- For any criteria with a word limit provided, please have your responses prepared in a separate electronic text document that you can then copy and paste into each individual text box in the online submission form. Your response/s will not be accepted if you exceed the word limit. Your word count is displayed for each response.
- Supporting material – You may provide up to five A4 pages of evidence to support the claims made in the nomination. Please combine all supporting material into a single document (.pdf or .doc(x) files). Cross-referencing supporting material in the criteria response is essential. Supporting information may include, but is not limited to, photos, data, graphs, and copies of commendations or other letters of recognition.
- Any documents to be uploaded must not exceed 10MB per file.
Upon completion of your submission, an e-mail will automatically be sent to the primary person (nominated in your submission) to confirm successful receipt of your nomination. The confirmation e-mail will include a copy of your submission, including file attachments for your own records.
(If you do not receive the confirmation e-mail immediately, please check your e-mail Junk folder or SPAM filtering systems prior to contacting NESA on 03 9624 2300.)
AWARDS JUDGING
The NESA Awards for Excellence judging process is rigorous, transparent, and taken very seriously by the Independent Judging Panel. Judges invited to participate in the Awards are people who have notable expertise in relevant areas such as recruitment, business, health, community services and social inclusion. Revision of the Award assessment process occurs annually to ensure we uphold the highest standards of integrity.
Every nomination is subject to a comprehensive and rigorous assessment process using a standardised scoring and weighting system with auditing, variance, and due diligence checks to ensure consistency with the Award criteria.
NESA announces a maximum of three finalists for each award category. The judging panel will exclude nominations that do not achieve an acceptable benchmark score from the determination of finalists. At their discretion, the judging panel may identify nominations worthy of additional commendation, recognition, or Award. A panel of at least two judges, including an Award Convenor, undertakes assessment of each Award category. Each judge independently assesses each nomination in the category, scoring each criterion and providing written comments including feedback on how to strengthen the nomination.
After assessment of all nominations for the category are complete, the Award Convenors conduct an audit, crosschecking all scores given by the category judging panel to identify any inconsistencies in scoring. Where this occurs, Award Convenors review the nomination before contacting the judge(s) to discuss the rationale for their score. As appropriate, the Award Convenor may convene a deliberation conference to discuss the nomination(s) or criteria for which scoring has been discordant and/or request a re-assessment by one or more judges.
After completion of the assessment process, the top three scoring nominations become the Award category Finalists and announced publicly. Announcement of Award winners of each category occurs at the Gala Awards Dinner held in conjunction with the NESA National Conference.
NESA staff support the judging process but do not participate in the assessment of or review nominations. Management of nominations occurs with strict confidentiality processes in place.
INTRODUCING THE JUDGING PANEL
MAREE ARMANSIN
Maree Armansin has 27 years experience in the organisational development sector and has worked in the education, training and organizational development of adults in both the public and private sectors.
Maree is passionate about making a difference in the lives of others and her work has been in humanising organisations in order to bring about mindful change.
Qualifications
Master of Education
Master of Social Science (Counselling)
Grad Dip Counselling
B Ed, Dip. Tchg, Dip. TAE
Maree is on the Board of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia
Christine Flynn
BA; DipEd; FAICD; MAMI
Christine is an experienced Board Chair and Director, and executive leader, recognised for her capabilities in Board governance, organisational strategy, strategic risk, and leadership. Christine is an accredited facilitator for the Australian Institute of Company Directors and also serves as a Director on the Board of Queensland Country Health Fund Ltd.
Christine has held roles as a senior executive in the public service and on Boards including as President of Institute of Public Administration Australia (Queensland), Director of the International Research Society for Public Management, Member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Queensland Audit Office, and the QUT School of Business Advisory Board. Christine was formerly the Chair of the Board of Queenslanders Credit Union until 2018 when it merged with Queensland Country Credit Union (now Queensland Country Bank.)
Dr. Peter Laver, AM
This has included for organisations such as the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, National Board of Employment Education and Training, Victorian Learning and Employment Skills Commission, Community Advisory Council for the Community Support Fund, and the Prime Minister’s Science Prizes. In addition, he provides voluntary expertise to many not-for-profit organisations.
Judges' Top Five Tips
Tip 1.
Take time to read and understand the criteria thoroughly – analyse the criteria to ensure you understand exactly what is required in your response. If you are unsure clarify the criteria with NESA.
Tip 2.
Make sure your response fully addresses the criteria. For instance, if a question asks you to provide a timeline then ensure you detail the response chronologically.
Tip 3.
Avoid writing expansive, sweeping claims or generic declarations. Such statements actually undermine the strength of a nomination, as typically, they contain very little substance and cannot be either proven or disputed.
Tip 4.
Be specific about your or the nominee’s achievements. Provide evidence to support your claims against the criteria and wherever possible use more than one statistic to prove the point. There are many forms of evidence that you can use to support your claims; data, performance reports, letters of commendation, case studies or examples – choose the form that best relates to the criterion and if the criterion asks for specific evidence e.g. data or a case study, provide what is asked for. If you use the option to upload supporting material, ensure you cross-reference the evidence in the criteria responses and clearly title the uploaded attachment.
Tip 5.
If you are writing about yourself, then be yourself. Judges want to get to know you from the pages of your nomination. They want to gain insight into the type of person you are e.g. your values and passion for what you do. If you are writing about someone else be sure to capture the real person in the nomination. We recommend that completion of nominations occur in partnership with nominees to ensure as much information about them as possible is captured in your submission.
IMPORTANT DATES
Applications open: 10 AUGUST 2023
Applications close: MONDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2023
Judging: 6 – 15 SEPTEMBER 2023
Finalists announced: 25 SEPTEMBER 2023
Winners announced (at the Gala Awards Dinner): WEDNESDAY 11 OCTOBER 2023
By placing an entry in the Awards, the submitting organisation is confirming their commitment for a nominating Employment Consultant to attend the Awards for Excellence in person (or virtually upon special request) on Wednesday 11 October at the Sofitel Brisbane.
NESA Master Class
Employer Engagement Blueprint Master Class
Online 3 hour workshop
Tuesday 28 November 20203
1.00pm to 4.00pm AEDT
PLATFORM: ZOOM
TARGET GROUP
Frontline staff that engage with employers
SUMMARY
The master class is designed to help you alleviate the feelings of frustration from a lack of employer engagement; and to provide you with strategies for developing a better working relationship with your employers, leaving them with a solid trust in your abilities.
This is a 3-hour online (with a 10 minute coffee break) master class. It is a highly interactive, modularlised program, complete with customisable content for you and your team.
We invite you to participate in
Plan
Learn how to approach and recruit employers through rapport
Discover what they want to hear when being contacted
How gatekeepers can be sidestepped
The best way to follow up with employers after a conversation
Implement
Craft compelling hooks that draw in employers
Book meetings through email, phone calls or video chats
Understand the different personality types and body language techniques so you can target your audience more effectively
Bolster
Retain and sustain top talent by connecting with prospects
Leverage sophisticated objection-handling techniques
Create authentic connections to clients in challenging environments
Staying resilient during tough times
Facilitator
raimond volpe
Raimond is the Director and founder of Dynamo Selling, Australia’s leading sales success training organisation. Dynamo selling has won an increasing number of international and national awards including the prestigious International Gold Stevie award, and Winner of the Sales training company of the year in Australia in 2020 and 2021.
Raimond has over 25 years sales experience across SME and Corporate organisations in many industries including recruitment, pharmaceutical and finance.
Mindset plays a big part in Raimond’s sales training, as he strongly believes the right attitude is an integral part in a successful sales process. Raimond believes that with a solid sales process, a winning attitude and advanced communication skills, excellence can be achieved in any industry.
Raimond is also International Best-Selling Author in the Self‐Help industry, with his book “Success1010 For Living”. Shortly after its release, it became an international bestseller in 5 countries and has won 6 international book awards.
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This live broadcast will include ample Q&A time. It is expected to run for no more than 3 hours.
A PDF copy of the presentation will be distributed to all registrants, and a certificate to participants.
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For further information on NESA PD training events please contact us on +61 3 9624 2311 | EMAIL
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NESA TRAINING CATALOGUES
NESA Leadership Forum
NESA's Policy Stocktake and Strategy Leadership Forum
WEDNESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2023 | MELBOURNE
NESA’s Policy Stocktake and Strategy Leadership Forum will be our final Leadership Forum for 2023. A full agenda is planned with Julian Hill MP presenting on the recommendations of the Workforce Australia Inquiry followed by an informal roundtable session with Tania Rishniw, Deputy Secretary, Employment and Workforce, DEWR to hear member views on the recommendations to inform the government’s response to the Inquiry.
Tania will also be facilitating a roundtable on First Nations employment to gauge member views and DSS Deputy Secretary, Robyn Shannon, will be presenting on relevant recommendations from the Disability Royal Commission and having a member roundtable to gauge your views to inform the government’s response to that Inquiry.
THIS FORUM WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SECTOR LEADERS TO JOIN WITH NESA AND SET THE ADVOCACY AGENDA FOR 2024.
The agenda will include:
A presentation on the recommendations from the Inquiry on Workforce Australia Employment Services (WAES) – Julian Hill MP
An informal roundtable to ascertain the sector’s view on the WAES Inquiry recommendations – Tania Rishniw, Deputy Secretary, Employment and Workforce, DEWR
A roundtable on First Nations employment – Tania Rishniw, Deputy Secretary, Employment and Workforce, DEWR
An overview of the recommendations from the Disability Royal Commission Report relevant to employment of people with disability – Kathryn Mandla, CEO NESA
NESA’s Policy Stocktake and Strategy Moving Forward – Kathryn Mandla, CEO and Annette Gill, Principal Policy Advisor, NESA
NESA encourages member CEO’s & Leaders to join us on 13 December for our final Leadership forum for 2023.
FORUM DETAILS
Venue: Hyatt Place Melbourne, Essendon Fields, 1 English Street, Essendon Fields
(approx 8 minutes from Melbourne airport)
Time: 9.30am registration for a 10am start. Concludes at 3.00pm
Cost: $385.00 including GST
