Executive Management Professional Development Program guidelines

About the program

The Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) provides learning and development opportunities to the sport and recreation industry to increase the capacity and capability of the workforce and support governance practices and policy. An important aspect of building skills and knowledge within organisations is providing access for identified leaders to undertake professional development programs and opportunities that are relevant to the industry.

The 2021-2024 Learning and Development Framework and Strategy (LDFS) provides guidance for the delivery of initiatives that build industry capacity and capability. The LDFS supports the development of people across the sport and recreation industry in Western Australia across four pillars:

1. Governance and leadership
2. Workforce
3. Every Club
4. Coaching and officiating

The Executive Management Professional Development Grants Program aligns to the outcomes identified in the LDFS, particularly to the governance and leadership, and workforce pillars. The program provides financial support to organisations to provide learning and development opportunities for current and emerging executive management and senior leadership staff identified in their Individual Development Plan (IDP).

The DLGSC is seeking applications from state sporting organisations (SSAs), state active recreation organisations (SAROs) or peak bodies for projects that provide learning, development and upskilling opportunities to executive management and senior leadership staff.

The DLGSC will prioritise applications that meet the following:

• Smaller SSAs or SAROs (Industry Investment Program Category C, D, E, F and Provisional SSAs and SAROs) that have staff employed in executive management and senior leadership roles.

The DLGSC encourages organisations to consider applying for employees who are engaged in, or seeking exposure to, inclusion/diversity leadership and/or management roles.

Outcome and objectives

The outcome of the Executive Management Professional Development Grants Program is that:

• state sporting and active recreation organisations are supported to develop authentic, transformational leaders to achieve a values-driven culture in their organisation
• state sporting and active recreation organisations are supported to build the capacity and capability of their people through a blended learning approach.

The objectives of the Executive Management Professional Development Grants Program are to:

• provide customised learning, development and skilling opportunities for chief executive officers, senior managers and emerging leaders of SSAs, SAROs and peak bodies
• provide a learning environment that is safe and supportive and provides confidence to female chief executive officers, senior managers and emerging leaders of SSAs, SAROs and peak bodies.
  

Definitions

Current leader

An employee that has been in an executive management or senior leadership role within the eligible organisation for more than 2 years.

Emerging leader

An employee that has been in an executive management or senior leadership role in the eligible organisation for less than 2 years and not less than 6 months or has been identified for a role within the next 2 years.

Eligible employees

To be eligible for funding, employees must be currently employed in, or identified for, an executive management or senior leadership role within an eligible organisation.

Ineligible employees

An individual employee who was supported through the 2022 Executive Management Professional Development Program is not eligible to be supported through the 2023 program.

Eligible organisations

The following organisations are eligible to apply:

• DLGSC recognised state sporting associations (SSAs)
• DLGSC recognised state active recreation organisations (SAROs)
• DLGSC recognised peak bodies.

• be incorporated under the Associations Incorporations Act 2015 (WA) or a company limited by guarantee under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)
• possess an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• maintain appropriate and sufficient insurance cover for the duration of the project. A certificate of currency of insurance for the coming year should be provided upon application. Please note, for public liability insurance, a minimum value of $10 million per claim or occurrence giving rise to a claim is required.

• Organisations must commit to ensuring a COVID-19 safe environment and complying with all relevant regulations.
• Organisations with outstanding acquittals for any DLGSC grant may have payments withheld until outstanding acquittal documentation is satisfactorily completed.

Ineligible organisations

• State and Commonwealth Government agencies
• unincorporated not-for-profit organisations
• commercial or for-profit organisations
• educational institutions/agencies including schools, universities, and TAFE colleges.

Executive management professional development grants program investment framework

• The Executive Management Professional Development Grants Program is an application-based program with funding allocated to support the scope of each project.
• The program is an open and competitive grants program with applications assessed against the assessment criteria and ranked based on the merits of proposals.
• Organisations are able to apply for up to $3000 for one eligible employee and up to $4000 for 2 eligible employees (therefore, up to $2000 each).
• Projects must be delivered from 1 May 2023 and conclude by 30 June 2024.
• Organisations must provide a minimum financial co-contribution for each employee as follows:

Funding can be used for

• registration fees to attend certified short-course qualifications through education and training institutions or universities
• professional coaching or consultant fees to develop a mentoring, coaching and/or leadership profile
• registration fees for leadership and management courses, including learning and development opportunities for individuals engaged in inclusive practices
• intrastate and interstate travel and accommodation costs (for example, employee travel from regional WA to Perth or travel from Perth to Sydney to attend a relevant course)
• provision of interpreting and translating services.

Funding cannot be used for

• meals
• existing, ongoing, or recurrent organisational costs (for example, employee salaries and employment costs, insurance, administration expenses)
• learning and development opportunities that extend past the project delivery dates (therefore, the identified program must be completed between 1 May 2023 and 30 June 2024)
• learning and development opportunities that would be more appropriately supported through an alternative funding source or existing DLGSC grants program
• learning and development opportunities that have already been funded by DLGSC
• learning and development opportunities that have already taken place or have commenced
• purchase of merchandise, sporting and recreation equipment or resources (for example, clothing, uniforms, safety equipment, balls, stopwatches, textbooks, online subscriptions).

How to apply

Application information

• Read and understand the grant guidelines before commencing the application process.
• Discuss your project with DLGSC sport or recreation advisor before applying.
• 1 application per organisation will be considered.
• Late applications will not be accepted.
• Incomplete applications may be considered unsuccessful upon submission.
• Complete all sections of the application form and submit with the following supporting documentation:
  • a current curriculum vitae for the employee that demonstrates their length of employment and roles within the organisation
  • an Individual Development Plan (IDP) for the employee that clearly demonstrates their professional goals and learning and development needs. This must align with the learning and development for which funding is being sought.
• an IDP template is provided (refer attachment 1), or organisations may use another format that addresses similar information/areas
• applications must be signed by the applicant organisation and the employee
• submit your application form and supporting documentation by 5pm 27 March 2023 to industry.development@dlgsc.wa.gov.au

Assessment, approval and acquittal process

Assessment and approval process

• DLGSC grants administrators will assess applications for compliance with the eligibility criteria.
• DLGSC grants assessors will conduct a preliminary assessment of eligible applications against the assessment criteria and provide a summary, which may include scores, rankings, funding allocations and rationale, for an assessment panel to consider.
• A panel will be formed to conduct an independent review of the assessment process, the preliminary assessment information and ratify recommended applicants to be submitted to the DLGSC Director General for endorsement and submit to the Minister for Sport and Recreation for approval. The panel will comprise 2 independent DLGSC staff and 1 independent external assessor with relevant expertise.
• The Minister for Sport and Recreation to approve the recommended applicants as per the relevant funding source legislation.
• Successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified in writing.
• Applicants may not be successful or may not be funded to the full amount requested.
  

Assessment criteria

Applications will be assessed against the following 3 criteria:

1. Alignment to Individual Development Plan (IDP)
   The application demonstrates that the learning and development opportunities identified align to the employee’s IDP and supports their current and/or future aspirations within the sport and recreation industry.
2. Benefits
   The application demonstrates that undertaking the identified learning and development opportunities in an employee’s IDP will achieve at least 1 of the following:
   • develop authentic, transformational leaders to achieve a values-driven culture in their organisation
   • build the capacity and capability of its people through a blended learning approach including customised learning, development and skilling opportunities
   • provide a safe and supportive learning environment that provides confidence for female chief executive officers, senior managers and emerging leaders.
3. Budget
   The application is based on a realistic budget that represents value for money.

Each assessment criteria are weighted equally.

Applications that meet the Executive Management Professional Development Grants Program priority will be ranked for highly (refer About the program).

Conditions of funding agreements

• If your organisation has an ABN and is registered for Good and Services Tax (GST), the grant will be grossed up by 10% of the grant amount.
• If your organisation has an ABN and is not registered for GST, no GST will be paid.

Grant agreement

• Approved applicants will be required to enter into a grant agreement that outlines the grant conditions, key deliverables and acquittal requirements. Once signed and returned, the grant will be paid directly to the eligible applicant body.
• No grant monies will be paid to an individual.
  

Acquittal requirements

• At the completion of the project, your organisation will need to complete an acquittal report to demonstrate that the funding has been spent in accordance with the grant agreement.
• Your acquittal report must be submitted within 30 days of the project completion date as specified in the grant agreement.

DLGSC acknowledgement

• Successful organisations will be required to acknowledge DLGSC. Further details will be provided to successful applicants within their grant agreement.
• Successful organisations will be required to participate in any research and/or evaluations relating to this funding and/or funded projects.