Key action 2: Recruitment and workplace culture

Provide mentoring, work placement or work experience opportunities for young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, including from migrant and refugee backgrounds, who have not had previous experience working in government.

Delivered

The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) continues to offer a mentoring program for all staff annually, including culturally diverse staff, and outlines the importance of diversity and equity.

TMR has an ongoing partnership with Multicultural Australia (MA) to support people from refugee and asylum-seeker backgrounds to gain casual, temporary, and ongoing employment.

TMR is participating in the ‘Engineers Australia Global Engineering Talent (GET) Program’ - a practical program that provides work placements for migrant engineers and the necessary Australian work experience to help secure engineering jobs. Our Infrastructure Management Division accommodated three participants in the program and will continue to look for matches between participants and engineering teams. The program is ongoing and has no end date.

Created link in our applicant tracking system, that will direct students interested in internships/cadetships etc to register for opportunities in TMR.

Promote opportunities through the use of trusted communication channels, targeted strategies and networks that reach culturally diverse audiences, including promoting temporary and other employment opportunities such as Graduate Programs.

Delivered

Annually, TMR undertakes continuous improvement actions to support employee experience and inclusivity.

During this year's continuous improvement TMR conducted:

• Implemented #WeAreTMR employer brand campaign. Including new employer video to accompany advertisements, and updated LinkedIn Life Pages. All information includes key messaging about ‘inclusion and diversity’. 
• Implemented an “Identified role and targeted recruitment guide” to support hiring managers recruit a more inclusive and diverse applicant pool.
• diverse images of TMR's workforce have been added to the website.
• updated commitment on why Diversity and Inclusion is important to TMR.
• Implemented a new role description template and applicant guide to make it easier for a diverse range of job seekers to apply for a job with the Department.
• Updated information on available recruitment channels to enable hiring managers recruit a more inclusive and diverse applicant pool
• Maintain Culture and Inclusion SharePoint page to communicate Cultural events. 
• Partner with Diversity Council Australia to support hiring managers to recruit for more diverse applicant pools.

The impact of the changes in communication channels were targeted to reach culturally diverse audiences including career fairs, emphasising eligibility for visa holders in the Graduate Program. In 2024, 1869 applicants applied for the graduate program. 70.96% of applications received were from people who are culturally diverse (non-English speaking background) and of this, 30% of applicants were successful in gaining a position in the Graduate program. 

Implement initiatives to raise awareness about and address unconscious bias in recruitment.

Delivered

In November 2023, following changes to the Public Sector Act 2022 and Recruitment & Selection Directive 2023, TMR's Customer Service Branch (CSB) released updated ‘CSB Best Practice Recruitment and Selection Panel’ inhouse training materials. This updated training included a greater focus on:

• Strategies to proactively consider how each applicant can participate in recruitment activity in a manner that is flexible, unbiased, culturally respectful, inclusive, and accessible
• Reasonable adjustments throughout entire recruitment process to accommodate the needs of diverse applicants
• Benefits of having a diverse workforce & inclusive workplace
• TMR diversity targets & ways to create cultural safety in recruitment processes
• How the panel’s diversity and representation are considered vital factors for successful recruitment, and
• Maximising diverse applicant pools by considering inclusive advertising practices

This training continued to be mandatory for CSB panel members to complete before commencing any hiring process. In the financial year 2023/24 over 140 CSB employees completed this updated training.

TMR’s CSB is also participating in a pilot program facilitated by Human Resources Branch (HRB) which offers one-on-one recruitment coaching for recruitment panel participants, with a focus on developing a recruitment strategy, assessing suitability, including potential and diversity and inclusive attributes, and writing a selection report (or any other element of the R&S lifecycle).

The Learning Moment on ‘Bias’ was developed by CSB Access and Inclusion (CSB A&I) Program and is available to all of the Department. Learning Moments are 10-minute toolbox talks covering accessibility and inclusion topics.

TMR’s Translink, the public transport planning and delivery area of TMR has implemented mandatory training (unconscious bias) for all recruitment and selection, panel chairs to complete before commencing any hiring process. To date (2023-24), 75 panel chairs have completed this training.

Unconscious bias training planned as part of the recruitment and selection inclusive recruitment phases to uplift capability.

TMR's Accessible Transport Network (ATN) has held training on Unconscious Bias, Disability Awareness and Gender Identity and Discrimination which was open to all staff – limited bookings available. ATN encourages and supports employees to ensure panels are culturally diverse.

TMR's HRB has delivered a series of corporately funded workshops with Merit Solutions and the Institute for Managers and Leaders (IML) to uplift R&S capability of HR Network. Over 100 HR professionals and some managers attended.

HRB has also developed and implemented the Recruitment & Selection Fundamentals e-learning course to assist hiring managers in the Recruitment and Selection process, including content on unconscious bias, this course is available to all TMR employees currently there are 578 employees enrolled in this course with 283 employees who have completed the training.

As part TMR's Learning Library, TMR Employees have access to LinkedIn Learning suite of 85 courses on culture, inclusion, and diversity. These courses teach skills on:

In 2023–2024. 435 TMR employees have accessed this train with 43% completion rate which is 200 employees.

Revise recruitment and selection processes such as highlighting agency’s recognition of the benefits of a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace in job descriptions to encourage culturally diverse talent to apply, addressing the impact of unconscious bias and considering the ‘two in the pool’ approach to shortlisting.

Delivered

TMR is on a journey to ensure we maximise our recruitment and selection processes and resources. Improvements delivered to date:

• Revised Recruitment and Selection procedure, intranet content, role description template, applicant guide, selection report, and referee report to reflect the new Recruitment and Selection directive emphasising suitability, including inclusion and diversity.
• Implemented an “Identified role and targeted recruitment guide” to support hiring managers recruit a more inclusive and diverse applicant pool.
• Implemented a new #WeAreTMR employer brand. New hero video, role description template, LinkedIn Life Pages and SEEK TMR profile. Key messaging about inclusion and diversity.
• Delivered the Management Fundamentals Series, including a dedicated session on recruitment and selection to enhance managerial understanding of the process, with 60 managers participating and availability of the recording online for broader accessibility.
• Facilitated workshop with the Senior Leadership Team to gain insights and construct strategies to empower hiring managers in innovative recruiting practices (with Office of the Special Commissioner).
• Reviewed our Graduate program to identify simplification and improvement opportunities to make more inclusive, influencing the recruitment approach for the 2025 cohort.
• Commitment to inclusion and diversity reflected in the TMR Equity and Diversity Plan 2023-2024.