Small business operators in geographically isolated centres in southern WA will have management skills training delivered on the spot via roadshows created and conducted by Edith Cowan University's Small and Medium Enterprise Research Centre.
Small business operators in geographically isolated centres in southern WA will have management skills training delivered on the spot via roadshows created and conducted by Edith Cowan University's Small and Medium Enterprise Research Centre.
Funded by a $300,000 AusIndustry grant, SMERC's Practical Employee Management Skills (PEMS) program will go to more than 300 small business operators in both country and metropolitan WA over a one-year period. It's the first time a project of this kind has been undertaken in country WA.
The one-day roadshows to regional and rural towns in the state's Great Southern area will hit the highways early in 2007. Training workshops are about to begin in the south-east metropolitan area of Perth and will commence in two major southern regional centres on 21 August.
SMERC Director Dr Beth Walker says "our CD2 philosophy" - providing "campus-developed, community-delivered" programs - is a direct outcome of the Centre's research into facets of small business management which need strengthening.
"Our projects are all evidence-based," Dr Walker says. "We've done the research and we know what the issues are for small business. And we know how to develop appropriate training programs and deliver them effectively using qualified educators with HR expertise and employing adult learning principles.
"Our research shows that the importance of HR skills for small business operators can't be over-emphasised. Sound people management practices result in better staff recruitment techniques, better performance management and a more stable and happy workforce. These are all vital for the business's continuity and future planning.
"And the current skills shortage makes it even more important for small business operators to develop sound HR management techniques as attracting and retaining good staff becomes more challenging.
"Running a small business combines two things - the operational side and the management side. Our research shows that most small business owners are good at the operational side - it's where their training and skills are strongest - but people who have qualified as plumbers or hairdressers, for example, have generally not been trained in people management. When they branch out into business for themselves they often struggle in this area.
"The PEMS program develops hands-on skills in employee recruitment, selection and training. Participants also learn how to motivate staff, conduct staff appraisals and how to reward and retain them.
"It shows participants that developing and implementing good people management practices is an integral part of a small business's overall strategy and is simply a good business decision.
