PERS Corner
Employment profiles - moving ahead
By W/O Tony Johnstone and W/O Randy Ransfield
Making notes
Last year, over 200 Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel attended our Employment Profile (EP) Workshops. Current outputs of all trades were captured, with the future needs of the Royal New Zealand Air Force foremost in mind.
Our trades and specialisations are very much the ‘engine rooms’ in terms of the core capabilities that we need to succeed at our Mission—to carry out military air operations to advance New Zealand’s security interests with professionalism, integrity and teamwork.
A vital step in identifying future needs is that we ‘put a picture on the wall’ as to what the New Zealand Government requires of us right now—to take stock of what is currently provided to the Mission by our respective trades and specialisations. Introductions of new capabilities depend upon getting this bit ‘right’.
What we have done so far
We now have a complete inventory of tasks by rank, from Aircraftman to Warrant Officer. In the EP model, these are measured against an operational scenario that includes all RNZAF deployable capability. Current New Zealand Defence Force operations are taken into account, as well as ‘at home’ areas of responsibility such as our Exclusive Economic Zone, and support to other Government departments.
We also identify exactly what trades and specialisations uniquely bring to the RNZAF Mission. All information is then used to produce the EP document—NZAP 10.
A shorter-term project by-product is a revised training prescription for primary trade training. The Training Needs Analysis team at Training Group Headquarters is now receiving these from us.
What we are finding
The strengths of the Employment Profile model are that it:
- supports Mission requirements
- quickly ‘engages’ trade personnel at all rank levels with improved role clarity
- provides everyone a clearer understanding of how we need to grow the RNZAF
- is based on data for the trades, by the trades, and
- provides other staff project teams (such as the Support Trades Rationalisation) with meaningful data.
The benefits
By nailing exactly what core job and rank competencies our trades need to grow, we will be far better placed to address our future developmental needs. Coincidentally, Primary Trade Training (e.g. ‘junior course’) and trade training thereafter will be better aligned and timed, in terms of its delivery.
Where to from here?
Our priorities for 2010 are to complete the EP documents for the trades that attended workshops in 2009 and to begin work on the specialisations.
We continue to engage others as the project continues and we thank you for your energy and commitment. Looking forward to meeting more of you throughout 2010!