Workforce, Diversity + Inclusion – How are you going to be involved?

Last month the Diversity Action Plan (DAP) was launched to our industry at the TFFPN Forum. The DAP, combined with the Workforce Development Plan (WDP), provides a roadmap for the industry to address some of the key messages from the forum.

Messages from our presenters such as “people have jobs but want careers” and “young people want purpose” and to “contribute to solutions” really stood out to delegates in the room.

Notes illustrated by graphic scribe, Kylie Dunn at the 2022 Forum

We all have an opportunity to build and support our industry as an industry of choice with a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce. There are six key areas of implementation that will be the focus of the next 12 months:

Forest industry career, education, training and pathway mapping and promotion:

  • What are the key job roles needed now and in the future?
  • What skills are needed to do these jobs?
  • What are the training pathways to develop these skills?
  • What are the entry points for these jobs

Stakeholder engagement and communication:

  • How do we articulate our purpose?
  • What messages to we want to be communicating with all stakeholders about our sector and our people?
  • How do we collaborate on developing these key messages, so they become industry-wide?
  • What communication channels can we use?

Building an online portal that brings workforce, diversity, career, and training information together:

  • This portal is currently under development, but we need to ensure it meets the needs of all our stakeholders
  • What information do employers need? What about current employees?
  • What information do we want to share with future employees to attract and support them into our industry?
  • How do we want to engage with the Tasmanian community?

Developing a framework to attract and support women into the forest industry:

  • The data tells us that women are under-represented right across the industry.
  • What are the real and or perceived barriers to women entering and remaining in the industry?
  • What opportunities do we have to address these barriers?
  • How do we engage the whole industry in working towards greater equity for women?

Researching and developing best-practice recruitment guides and templates to support workforce and diversity:

  • Many industries are focused on workforce and diversity, so what can we learn from their practices?
  • What is working and what isn’t working? How can we use or adapt resources for the Tasmanian forest industry?

Developing an Active Pledge for employers to indicate their support of workforce development, diversity, and inclusion in the sector:

  • There are many models for such a pledge, but what would work for our industry?
  • What are the key points that need to be included?
  • How can it be developed in a way that is inclusive for all employers, that encourages leadership, that is supported by resources and that has value?

The successful implementation of these initiatives will need continued leadership from the Tasmanian forest industry. There is a role for everyone, big or small and your involvement can be as much or as little as you can manage – it can be just a chat or an email to Tracey with an idea or comment on the work being done.

Or if you have an interest or passion in one of these areas, then let Tracey know and the Network can put together a working group.

You can connect with Tracey by:

Filling out this short survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/interestregister
Emailing Tracey.Taylor@tffpn.com.au
Or calling on 0499 623 791