Council has an obligation to hire people based on the principle of merit, meaning that a vacant position is offered to the person who demonstrates that they have the most relevant experience, skills, knowledge, and qualifications in relation to the job. This process promotes fair hiring of people, in that the job is offered to the “best person for the job” rather than a particular person because of:
Traits such as ethnic background, age, religious background, and gender. Such traits have no bearing on how suitable a person is for the position and cannot be considered during the selection process. A candidate merely has to be fit to perform the duties of the role (e.g. age/gender is only an issue if the pre-employment medical shows that the person cannot safely perform the requirements of the role);
Whether they are friends or relatives of current Council employees. Simply being a friend or relative of a Council employee should not give someone an unfair advantage during the employment process.
To fill a vacancy, Council will advertise internally (open to existing employees only), or externally (open to existing employees as well as members of the public). Internal advertising generally occurs where Council is confident that there is the interest and capacity to fill the vacancy with a current employee who has the appropriate skills etc. Human Resources coordinates but works closely with Management during the recruitment and selection process. For instance, in the case of Labourer/Plant Operator/Truck Driver positions, the applications are summarised by Human Resources and forwarded to Engineering Management for their consideration and review. Management and Human Resources then meet to arrive at a short-list of candidates to investigate further (e.g. by speaking with the applicant or conducting their Referee Checks). Interviews and a minimum of 2 satisfactory work-related Referee Checks must occur before a preferred candidate can be selected, and often specific tests (e.g. truck driving/plant operator competency; computer competency) are also conducted. Once Management and Human Resources arrive at a preferred candidate, a recommendation of appointment is made to the Chief Executive Officer, and Human Resources coordinates the appointment process from there (e.g. pre-employment medical, provision of relevant qualifications by the candidate to Council, letter of offer sent by Council).
Traineeship And Apprenticeship Information
In August/September of recent years, Flinders Shire Council has appointed the Townsville-based apprenticeship and traineeship agency, TORGAS, to recruit and select trainees and apprentices to be hosted by Flinders Shire Council. Council is keen to offer traineeships and apprenticeships as these provide employment and skill development opportunities for youth particularly, which they otherwise might not get locally. Because job appointments are generally made on the principle of merit, traineeships and apprenticeships can be a great way for people to obtain experience in a work environment where they might otherwise lack the skills, experience, qualifications and knowledge necessary to make the short-list for vacancies.
Of course, the trainee/apprentice also learns great skills from trained and qualified supervisors, and they obtain a qualification at the end of their course which might be used to obtain employment and successful career at Flinders Shire Council or another organisation.
In recent years, approximately 10% of Council’s workforce has consisted of trainees and apprentices (including school-based), which is an impressive percentage. In 2011 alone, four people who had successfully completed their traineeships/apprenticeships that year obtained employment with Council. In September 2012, Council advertised for a school based Business Administration trainee, a full-time Business Administration trainee, a Carpentry apprentice and a Mechanic/Diesel Fitting apprentice.
So... if you’d like to learn a trade skill such as carpentry, plumbing or diesel fitting, or if you want qualifications in business or civil construction... keep an eye out each year around August – October for TORGAS’s advertising for placements at Flinders Shire Council.
Work Experience Information
Flinders Shire Council is happy to support the Hughenden State School’s requests for work experience. In recent years there have been very productive for both the work experience student and Council. The work experience program provides the student with an opportunity to experience and gain confidence in a workplace environment, and might even help them decide their future career path. Quite often work experience placements at Flinders Shire Council have led to traineeships or apprenticeships, which have led to great employment opportunities.
So students are encouraged to take advantage of Council work experience opportunities and all that they might lead to!
