By Damian Whitburn I APS Academy
Over the past year, the APS Academy has focused on building the skills of the Australian Public Service workforce across the country. We know APS staff work in many locations—not just in major cities—so we are committed to reaching public servants wherever they are.
This year, a key initiative was delivering face‑to‑face courses in all five states. In March 2026, we travelled to Adelaide, where our expert facilitators, Kara Emerton and Craig Harris, delivered two highly engaging workshops: Building and Leading High Performing Teams and Building Relationships and Engagement.
Drawing on his extensive SES leadership experience, Craig shared practical insights for creating strong, high‑performing teams. His session encouraged collaboration and networking across agencies.
The following day, Kara delivered the Building Relationships and Engagement workshop. With her background in human resource management, Kara focused on employee engagement, coaching, mentoring, wellbeing and leadership. She encouraged participants to share their experiences and learn from one another.
These sessions gave participants valuable skills while also creating space to connect with colleagues from different agencies and gain new perspectives.
We’re also looking ahead. Delivering Great Policy will run in Geelong on 12–13 May and in Sydney on 19–20 May. These sessions offer a great opportunity to build your policy skills and expand your professional network.
To view more course dates or request a session in your city, visit our Nationwide Course Page