Target Group

The ISD target group includes paid staff and management committees in over 1000 non-government organizations across Queensland that receive recurrent funding by the Department of Communities and Child Safety, Queensland (excluding child care, aged care and disability services).

Regional Capacity Building Model

The ISD project engages a capacity building approach through a regional decision making model, supporting and resourcing the development of Skills Development Networks (SDN) in 13 regions across Queensland .

The fundamental elements of the ISD project model include:

•  The prioritising and brokering of learning and skill development activities are made by ISD members through a needs assessment and local decision making process coordinated through the Skills Development Networks

•  The ISD target group has 1 st priority access to learning activities delivered through the Strategy. Non target group members may be offered places on a fee for service basis where vacancies exist

•  The ISD project team resources the SDNs and implements their decisions

•  The learning activities are affordable and accessible

•  There is a balance of training opportunities between accredited and non-accredited training . The accredited training delivered under the project is accredited under the Australian Qualifications Training Framework (AQTF)

Skills Development Networks

SDNs are comprised of ISD target group members from a range of sectors and locations in each region. They are the key, underpinning element of the model. The role of the SDN is to identify and prioritise local training needs taking into account all target group services, develop a regional skill development plan and identify, broker events and activities based on the budget available, select and evaluate the performance of training providers contracted under this Strategy. They work to ensure brokered training is regionally appropriate and based on the needs identified by workers in that region.

SDN membership is open to all target group members and subject to regionally developed membership policies and guidelines. SDNs meet regularly to further the work of the project in their region.

Members of SDNs are resourced for their time and travel costs in participating in the project, which has assisted in ensuring long-term support and commitment from organisations in allowing their staff/management to participate in the localised decision making structure.

The learning needs identification processes conducted by SDNs includes written surveys, face to face workshops and gathering of training needs by the SDN's during the course of their networking within their regions. Most SDNs undertake some formal needs analysis process every 12 months as well as supplementing this with other information and priorities that arise.