Workforce development covers a range of activities that are focused on building the capability and capacity of people and organisations. Ideally, we will have a workforce that is sustainable, diverse, adaptable, and inclusive. And we will have workplaces with well-designed structures to facilitate responsiveness to the communities they serve, great cultures, good practice workforce management (including provision of learning opportunities), and workforce wellbeing as a priority.
In its 2013 report on the Sport and Recreation Sector Workforce to 2026, BERL identified that the sector and its constituent workforce face a challenging future because of:
- The changing nature of demand for sport and recreation services
- Ongoing technological developments
- Ethnicity and age trends
- Funding considerations and possible new funding models.
In addition, there are general workforce trends in 2020 that indicate changes in the way workforces are shaped and in the expectations of workers that must also be considered. For example:
- Expectation of greater emphasis on prioritising employee wellbeing and working within a people-focused culture
- Work flexibility in terms of hours worked and location
- Greater emphasis on having a diverse workforce across all dimensions of diversity
- Ongoing learning and development opportunities increasingly via digital means i.e. online tutorials and videos
- Better access to technology that enables quicker responses and completion of mote complex tasks
- Increasing value of creativity and innovative mindsets in some industries
- Changes to the concept of ‘career’ where multiple jobs and changing sectors are becoming the norm
- Increasing automation of some jobs
- Re-skilling our workforce – in both technical and social skill areas
- Collaborative workforces
Three pillars of work
In response, we have developed a plan focused on three pillars of work: leadership development through the application of the sport and recreation leadership development framework; volunteer planning and management; and supporting organisations to develop high-performing workplaces to address HR planning, culture development; capability building, and managing capacity in order to create a fit-for-purpose, capable, and responsive workforce.
