Officers attend training workshop in Canberra

Canberra, Australia — Two officers from the Department of Personnel Management (DPM), Gerald Yuasise and Bernadette Maino, recently represented Papua New Guinea at a week-long Pacific workforce training program held in Canberra, Australia.

Mr Gerald Yuasise is the Manager for Human Resources and Advisory Services and Ms Bernadette Maino is the Acting Manager for Policy Research and Development.

The training was facilitated by the Australian Public Service Commission, in partnership with the Centre of Excellence in Workforce Planning and the Samoa Public Service Commission and New Zealand Fale.

It brought together 24 participants from across the Pacific, including representatives from Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Timor-Leste, and PNG. The objective of the workshop was to share best practices and develop workforce planning strategies tailored to both national and regional contexts.

Key discussions focused on creating a skilled and resilient workforce to meet community needs, with an emphasis on strategic planning, governance, and regional stability.

The five-day training covered a range of topics.

It began with an introduction to workforce planning, highlighting its importance, data analysis, and identifying workforce risks.

This was followed by sessions on risk assessment and scenario planning to anticipate future challenges.

Participants then explored succession planning, identifying gaps between the current workforce and future needs, and strategies for talent retention and capability development.

Further sessions focused on organizational and job design, explored the principle, tools and techniques for effective organizational and job design  and how these connect to workforce planning.

The final day concentrated on program management, particularly how to implement and evaluate workforce plans to ensure they are business-owned and led—an approach considered essential for managing the entire workforce life cycle.

Participants also took part in cultural and networking activities, including a welcome dinner and visits to iconic sites such as the Australian Parliament House, the Museum of Australian Democracy, and the Mt Isa Lookout. A key outcome of the training was the co-creation of the first-ever Pacific Public Sector Workforce Planning Guidelines, a practical tool kit designed to support and strengthen workforce planning efforts across the region. Participants are encouraged to advocate for this guide in their home countries and stay connected through the Pacific workforce planning committee.

The training concluded with a certificate presentation by the APSC.