Professional Development for Regional and Local Coordinators

Local and Regional Landcare Coordinators are supported to undertake professional development activities identified in collaboration with their host organisations to assist them to better serve their communities in their role.

Up to $5,000 per FTE local and regional coordinator role over the employment period is available.

Professional development activities must be approved by Local Land Services (LLS) before being undertaken and confirmed by LLS in writing during the acquittal/completion processes if they are not listed under eligible activities below. If you are wanting to use the professional development funding for travel, accommodation and/or staff time costs associated with attending the professional development please submit your requests to Landcare.admin@lls.nsw.gov.au prior for approval.

It is an expectation that the host organisation will be able to demonstrate how professional development experience relating to:

• the objectives of the Program
• the objectives of the host organisation
• the contribution to regional priorities
• professional upskilling for coordinators to perform their role.

Examples of demonstrating how professional development aligns to the Program objectives and results in an increase in a coordinators ability to perform their role, may include:

• training assessment and/or evaluation of the coordinator before/after the training
• performance development reviews
• statutory declaration from the coordinator stating that the professional development undertaken has led to an increase in skills, experience etc relating to their role
• a description, with evidence, of the flow on impact of a new skill/experience acquired.

Every professional development activity/training/event must be added to the CAT as a separate record for each local and regional coordinator.

Eligible professional development activities under the Program include:

• conferences and subscriptions where they are directly related to the role, for example, attendance at State Gatherings and Landcare Conferences
• technical training/courses required to undertake these roles, for example, First Aid, 4WD training, computer skills, grants and governance training (this is role dependent)
• social media, website training and/or media training
• community engagement and well-being training, for example, RuralBiz, Art of Hosting, Mental Health First-Aid, role specific professional coaching
• leadership training such as leading teams and community groups
• academia that is directly related to the role
• best practice management in natural resource management, agriculture, or sustainability.

Once the professional development bursary is spent, no further professional development funding is available under the contract. 

Reporting of professional development expenses will be captured in the Program's reporting obligations.