Undertaking an accredited government and public sector course gives you an advantage when pursuing roles in the public sector, as well as helps to develop skills necessary to succeed in the field. If you’re considering taking a public sector course, here’s an overview of what you can expect from a range of course offerings.
What you can expect in public service courses
The sector is a demanding one, with a variety of roles and departments, covering everything from Administration to Fraud Prevention. Given the range of specialisations and responsibilities, public sector training is incredibly important for professional development.
Whether you’re formalising your skills to help advance your career, or looking to learn new skills to be able to enter the field, you’ll find that most public sector courses will cover the core aspects and requirements of working in a public service role, which are:
Understanding and upholding public service values and principles
Workers in the public service are expected to uphold certain values and principles, as key parts of working as representatives of governing bodies. The Australian Public Service Commission (APS) outlines five values that articulate the parliament’s expectations of public servants in terms of performance and standards of behaviour.
The APS values are:
- Impartial
- Committed to service
- Accountable
- Respectful
- Ethical
Understanding and demonstrating these values is important in all areas of public service, so that is why they are a key focus of public sector courses. The training in these types of modules will cover understanding the relevant values and principles, and also how to practically demonstrate these in the workplace.
Working effectively with diversity
Having the skills and knowledge to recognise and interact effectively with diversity is an important aspect of public service. As part of public sector courses, you will learn practical skills for workplace interactions and handling them with sensitivity and care.
These skills are particularly important for public facing roles or people in positions of leadership, as they will be providing guidance to others and communicating key information. Most public sector courses will address working productively with diversity to some degree, as it ensures that people can work productively in a diverse workplace, both with colleagues and the public.
Having diversity in the workplace means acceptancing and including employees of all backgrounds, and acknowledging the individual strengths of each employee and the potential they bring.
Developing workplace communication strategies
Developing strong communication skills is critical in most workplaces, but particularly in public service roles where diversity is at the forefront and there is a variety of departments, personnel and stakeholders involved at every level. Being able to communicate effectively not only ensures a good work environment, it also helps teams to work efficiently.
Communication strategies can include things like active listening, non-verbal communication, creating a receptive atmosphere, establishing respectful tone, and clarity and concision.
Understanding how to communicate effectively on digital platforms is also becoming increasingly important as workplaces shift to adopt digital technologies. This includes communication via phone, email, video conferencing, and social media.
Complying with legislation in the public sector
It is important for public sector personnel to uphold and comply with legislation, as they are subject to intense scrutiny because of the position of trust they hold.
Public sector training will include identifying key requirements of relevant legislations, ensuring consistency of interpretation and application of legislation, carrying out work practices in line with legislation, and being able to review your own conduct and use feedback from others to confirm continuing compliance. Positions of leadership and management will also be responsible for reviewing others conduct and identifying and rectifying non-compliance.
The best courses for working in the public sector
PSP30116 Certificate III in Government
The Certificate III is the perfect course for those looking to cover the general competencies of working in the public sector, with a particular focus on meeting the ethical and legislative requirements. This qualification is generalist and covers the skills required to operate in a broad range of public service work activities that are generalist in nature, which presents qualified students with plenty of opportunities.
The course is offered by Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) only, helping people formalise their skills in the public sector to lead to more and greater opportunities.
PSP40116 Certificate IV in Government
The Certificate IV is also an RPL only course that allows for the attainment of occupational specific competencies for those working in operational roles without supervision. Graduates of this qualification will be able to apply knowledge and skills to demonstrate autonomy, judgement, and limited responsibility with established parameters. Like the Certificate III, it is a generalist qualification and one that is suited to those working in an environment requiring multi-skilled personnel.
Find out more about this qualification by visiting the course page.
PSP50116 Diploma of Government
The Diploma of Government is the perfect public sector training course for those looking to develop their skills and achieve career growth. The qualification is particularly suited for working in an environment where there are a range of responsibilities, including supervisory responsibilities, which are diverse in nature rather than within a narrow specialisation, or for working in small or regionally based organisations.
This course is available through study and RPL.
Find out more on the course page or contact our team for more information.
PSP60116 Advanced Diploma of Government
The Advanced Diploma allows for the attainment of competencies required for work in the public sector which is autonomous and often non-routine. The public sector management course is targeted at those who enter the public sector with another qualification as well as those progressing within the sector. It is a generalist qualification that is suited to the requirements of working in small or regionally based organisations or where responsibilities are diverse in nature.
The course is RPL only. Find out more by visiting the course page.
If you have any questions about our public sector courses or would like to enrol today, talk to our team by calling 1300 99 6732 or contacting us here.
