Strengthen your Excel skills and drive greater efficiency and impact, with Paul Harris, at the Excel Foundations for Government masterclass on 14 – 15 October. Photo: Supplied.
Women Unlimited Leadership Summit 2025
Date: 29 September – 1 October
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: In-person and online
Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth
Email: [email protected]
Over two days, across seven venues and six Australian capital cities, the Women UNLIMITED series is built on the belief that true power lies in the collective spirit of people unbound by limits.
That’s why we’ve brought together global powerhouses, former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard, 49th vice-president of the US Kamala Harris and Australian National University chancellor and Australia’s first female foreign minister Julie Bishop, and some of the most inspiring minds in leadership, to share their experience in the pursuit of progress.
The Women Unlimited Leadership Summit 2025, the largest leadership event for the public sector in Australia, will run concurrently in Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth. This year’s theme is ”The Pursuit of Progress”. Each city boasts a phenomenal lineup of speakers.
Gain once-in-a-lifetime advice from some of the nation’s most senior women leaders as they share their powerful lived experiences in pursuing progress, alongside enlightening and empowering discussions on the most critical topics for leaders.
Discover how other leadership powerhouses are spearheading the charge in the pursuit of progress. These include Rachel Noble, former director-general and the first woman to head an Australian statutory intelligence agency, Australian Signals Directorate; and Leigh Sales, former host of 7.30, journalist, author, podcast co-host and current presenter of the ABC’s Australian Story.
Take advantage of this opportunity to soak up redefining insights, grow your confidence and make life-affirming connections that will empower you to pursue your leadership goals.
MasterCraft Series – Buying better and consultancy value for money
Date: 30 September
Time: 1 pm – 2 pm
Duration: One one-hour face-to-screen session
Location: Virtual
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
Aligned to the government’s APS reform agenda, this presentation by Australian Government Consulting will feature guidance on how to derive greater value for money from the work of consultancies.
The presenter will be Andrew Baechle, Assistant Secretary, Australian Government Consulting, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Andrew brings a wealth of experience across state and federal government, management consulting and non-profit executive roles. He has been a senior executive in the NSW and Victorian governments, where he led a range of strategic policy and service delivery reform initiatives. Most recently, Andrew led operations and delivery for large community sector organisations such as Anglicare and Settlement Services International. He was a director in strategy and operations consulting at Deloitte in the United States and Australia, and has also worked in the US Department of State.
This content is suitable for all staff.
Procurement for SES Delegates
Date: 30 September
Time: 9 am – noon
Duration: Three-hour face-to-screen session
Location: Queensland
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
This course is a high-level overview of the procurement lifecycle and provides guidance to SES delegates on their role and responsibilities in each phase, from planning through to contract management. It ensures that senior executives are not only aware of their critical roles but are also prepared to lead their teams effectively, enhancing the overall performance and accountability of procurement activities.
There is also a focus on creating a positive procurement culture, emphasising the importance of ethical behaviour, transparency and value for money, and support for their staff by resourcing activities appropriately.
This learning experience has been provided by the Department of Finance and is suitable for SES Band 1 – 3.
Delivering Great Policy – Foundations
Date: 30 September – 1 October
Time: 9 am – 5 pm
Duration: Two eight-hour face-to-screen sessions
Location: Virtual
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
This package delivers all four modules of Delivering Great Policy. It defines the four core elements required for delivering great policy advice: being clear on intent; being well informed; providing solutions that are practical to implement; and making advice influential. Participants will complete all four modules in sequence.
This content has been provided by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. It is suitable for APS 3 – APS 6 and APS employees who are new to, or considering a career in, policy development roles.
SES Orientation Program
Date: 30 September – 14 November
Duration: One two-day workshop (30 September – 1 October) and one three-day workshop (12 – 14 November)
Location: Australian Capital Territory – MoAD (Old Parliament House)
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
This program helps establish the skills, partnerships and networks essential for effective SES leadership. Working at the SES level will be a little different to what you’re used to if you’re being promoted from an EL2, or if you were working outside of the APS and are newly appointed to an SES position (Band 1 to Band 3). That’s why the APS Academy designed the SES Orientation program.
The program enables SES staff to step up to the higher strategic accountabilities of the role, step out to take a broader systems view and engage more effectively with a diverse stakeholder group, and ‘’step forward’’ to develop more capable teams.
The course will support a new SES to take up the leadership (stewardship) and management (accountability) dimensions of their role, establishing the essential skills, partnerships and networks required for effective leadership.
This content has been provided by the APS Academy. It is suitable for SES Band 1s promoted from an EL classification, and SES Band 1s and Band 2s recruited from outside the APS. Consideration will be given to long-term acting EL2s (> 6 months). Contact [email protected] to discuss options.
Writing and Evaluating Tender Criteria
Date: 1 October
Time: 1 pm – 4 pm
Duration: One three-hour face-to-screen session
Location: Virtual
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
Focused on the knowledge and practices relating to delivering effective evaluation outcomes, this course is essential for anyone who will be required to sit on an evaluation panel. It provides a set of tools and techniques to manage sourcing events and their evaluation in a manner that is efficient and accountable, and delivers the right outcomes. It includes an overview of the end-to-end evaluation process, including evaluation criteria and scoring methods.
This learning experience has been provided by the Department of Finance and is suitable for all staff. This includes officials who are new to procurement, need a refresher, or want to move to a role in procurement. It will benefit APS staff working in procurement on an ad hoc basis, regular procurers, or delegates. It is suited to officials who manage quotes or tenders, assist in evaluating quotes or tenders, or oversee staff managing quotes or tenders.
EL 2 Data Leadership
Date: 1 – 22 October
Time: 9 am – 1:30 pm
Duration: Four 4.5-hour face-to-screen sessions
Location: Virtual
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
The EL2 level has a critical role in lifting the data capabilities of the APS in all dimensions. In addition to their responsibility to show leadership in their use of data in their own activities, EL2s have a number of leadership responsibilities, including building organisational capability and responsiveness, marshalling professional expertise, and harnessing information and opportunities. EL2s are also required to help raise the reputation of the entire public service, including by demonstrating professionalism and probity.
This course is designed to enhance data leadership knowledge and capability, focusing on the role data plays in the work of the public service and critical issues that impact on the availability, integrity and use of data. The course is pitched at EL2s working in policy, regulatory, corporate, service delivery and other roles. That is, those who might not otherwise see themselves as data professionals.
This learning experience has been created by the Australian National University in partnership with the APS data profession. It is suitable for EL2.
Lunch and Learn – Session 7: Building an advanced AI chatbot with your own data
Date: 1 October
Time: 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Duration: One 30-minute face-to-screen session
Location: Virtual
Email: https://apslearn.apsacademy.gov.au/user_login
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) has developed a new AI-powered chatbot named CLIKChat, designed to assist staff in efficiently searching and navigating information available on its CLIK website.
Presenter Rahul Rai is a senior technical consultant at the DVA with more than two decades of experience in software engineering and architecture within the Canberra government sector. He currently specialises in generative AI solutions, data architecture, and cloud infrastructure.
His expertise in software development spans a wide range of technology stacks, including Java, C# .NET, C/C++, and full-stack web development. Rahul has successfully led large-scale enterprise IT projects that are both client and staff-facing as a technical lead, including the recent development of GenAI capability for DVA using the GovAI platform.
The facilitator is Daniel Parri, an engagement manager with GovAI, a whole-of-government program in the Department of Finance working to enable responsible and effective AI adoption across the APS. In his role, Daniel works with agencies to accelerate AI adoption through information sharing, capability building, and supporting cross-agency connections. He also oversees the APS AI Use Case Library, a central GovAI resource showcasing real-world AI applications in government, promoting reuse and fostering innovation across the public sector.
This content is suitable for all staff.
QLD Public Sector AO6 to AO7: Management Essentials Workshop
Date: 15 – 16 October
Time: 9 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Cliftons Brisbane
Email: [email protected]
Overview
Essential management skills to strengthen the connections between strategy and results.
- Address changing expectations facing management in the Queensland Public Sector
- Strengthen your resilience through emotional intelligence
- Manage KPIs, set expectations, and monitor outcomes
- Develop a focused yet flexible strategy to guide your development.
Trainer Martin Brooker, a distinguished veteran with 37 years of service in the Royal Australian Navy, boasts a career marked by command at sea and operational excellence in the Middle East, Afghanistan, and the Pacific. Retiring in 2015 as a commodore, he transitioned to become the founder and director of the Quench Group.
Specialising in personal and organisational change, Martin draws from his rich leadership experiences and culture change initiatives. Recognised with awards such as the Conspicuous Service Cross and a Commendation for Distinguished Service, he shares authentic insights on leadership challenges.
Excel Foundations for Government
Date: 14 – 15 October
Time: 9:15 am – 1 pm
Location: Online
Email: [email protected]
Strengthen your foundational Excel skills and elevate proficiency to drive greater efficiency and impact. Create clean, precise and comprehensive Excel spreadsheets using good design and documentation principles.
Levelling up your Excel expertise is vital for anyone working with data in government, where precision, efficiency and clear communication are essential. If the below describes how you wish to use Excel, this online course is tailor-made for you.
- I feel comfortable with data entry but want to use Excel to analyse and manage data more effectively.
- I want to be more proficient with tables, charts and graphs.
- I understand basic formulas but want to be more nuanced and intuitive when applying them.
- I’d like to fill in gaps in my knowledge and be more confident overall.
- I’d like to be more efficient with Excel and understand how it can help save time, make informed decisions, and visualise data.
This practical course will expand your knowledge and help you create more efficient, accurate and well-developed workbooks.
Facilitator Paul Harris has been providing training services since 1997 and systems development consulting services since 2004. While conducting all levels of MS Office training for Access, Excel, PowerPoint and Word, and VBA training for Access, Excel and Word, his specialties have been Access and Excel. He has successfully delivered training to many organisations from a vast array of business sectors.
Paul’s consulting services comprise MS Access system design and development, including VBA-controlled data processing, automated Word/Excel document creation populated with selective data, and backend connections via ODBC, DAO and ADO to various backend sources. He also has experience with SQL server backend development, including Views, Stored Procedures, and User Defined Functions.
