The Department of Regional NSW, Digital Capability Uplift project has won the best-in-class award for Service Design: Public Sector category at the 2022 Australian Good Design Awards.
The Digital Capability Uplift project, which is funded by the Digital Restart Fund aims to transform capabilities of individuals, organisations and leaders to enable organisations to prioritise an enhanced customer experience and support and sustain innovative practices and operations.
The Department of Regional NSW's Digital Capability Uplift Project is a learning program that was developed to enhance the capability and confidence of the Department's staff in using digital tools and systems in their job, and to help them stay ahead of new technology
'The project has helped address the digital skills gap across the Department, enabled teams to be more agile and collaborative and has helped the Department to better serve the people of regional NSW. We are very proud to receive this award.' Director of Workforce Capability and Talent, Donna Mcleod
Judges looked for projects where a holistic design approach was carefully considered, improved the quality of life for customers and contributed to better economic, social and environmental outcomes.
Throughout COVID-19 we recognised our staff were balancing remote working with new challenges and priorities. We wanted to ensure they were supported and equipped with the right tools to do their jobs effectively. Our goal was to conceive an integrated learning program that would have positive, real-world benefits for our staff.
Participants in the program complete formal, social and on-the-job training over a 4-week period. The flexible learning includes:
- Weekly learning modules
- Social interaction and reflection with the support of a coach, and
- Opportunities to apply new skills and knowledge into participant's daily work.
Senior Program Coordinator with the Department, Jeanette Massie, said the pilot project achieved its objectives.
'Participants told us they were able to apply what they learned in the program directly to their roles; that they appreciated the support from the coaches; and that they also enjoyed the practical and tailored content designed for our staff.'
Design Methodology
To ensure the program met the needs of learners and applied to their experience, we blended human-centred design (HCD) activities with best practices from adult learning design to deliver a learning program with employees needs and experiences as our guide.
The project used a human-centred service design approach over three phases to address the challenge.
- discovery
- design
- build and scale
Director of Digital Transformation at the Department, Jenianne Hall, said the Digital Capability Uplift Project was different to many online training suites.
'In designing the program, we explored not just the content, but also the learning journey and the support participants would need so they could get the most out of the training.'
What's next
The Digital Capability Uplift Project will now enter its second phase, which will see it upscaled across the Department of Regional NSW and identify and close digital skills gaps beyond foundational skills. We are developing additional learning pathways as we continue to help the Department's staff work to make regional NSW an even better place to live, work, play and invest.
The NSW Government has allocated $2.2 billion across four years to invest into digital transformation projects through the DRF. The fund is administered by the Department of Customer Service and targets smart, simple technology solutions which create efficiencies for customers across the State.
The Australian Good Design Awards has been showcasing Australia's best design and innovation on the global stage since 1958.