Advancing Leadership Initiative
About the Advancing Leadership Initiative Program
The Advancing Leadership initiative is a stream of ACELG's Governance and Strategic Leadership program area aimed at broadening leadership capacity and development opportunity for 'aspiring' professionals working within Australian Local Government.
The aims of the Advancing Leadership Initiative include:
- Cultivate leaders who are best equipped to deal with themes, issues and relationships unique to the sector of local government
- Retain and upskill committed and aspirational staff
- Make local government a desirable place to work ; building pride across current staff and attracting new staff
- Raise the profile of local government on a national and international scale
- Bridge gaps in the current training and development market for middle management leaders.
As part of the Intitiative, a Leadership competency framework has been developed for local government in Australia. It is a conceptual competency framework that originated from a UTS Professional Capabilities framework and, subsequent to further research on similar frameworks, tailored for local government in Australia.
The framework intends to:
- Provide guidance on key elements of local government leadership development
- Foster a national approach to local government leadership capabilities
- Offer a high standard framework that is academically endorsed and rigorously researched
- Be a reliable developmental tool for use by academic and practitioner led training and learning programs targeted at local government aspiring leaders.
The Framework comprises of six core capabilities: Thinking, Relationships, Context, Communicating, Learning and Outcomes.
Each capability area has a further six associated competencies that form a suggested structure to underpin effective local government leadership learning initiatives.
Download the Advancing Leadership Framework here »
Graduate Certificate in Local Government Leadership
A key component of the initiative has been the development of the Graduate Certificate in Local Government Leadership (GCLGL) which uses the Advancing Leadership Framework as a basis for course design and learning outcomes.
The GCLGL is a university-level postgraduate qualification developed by ACELG and offered as 'model' for universities to adapt and articulate within their own institutions.
New ACELG research entitled 'Council approaches to leadership: Research into good practice' explores the elements of successful council-based leadership programs, highlighting key themes for contemporary local government leaders to consider. read more »
The inaugural Advancing Leadership roundtable was held in Melbourne on November 28th attended by representatives from local government councils, associations and universities from around Australia. read more »
