Overview
Emergency management is underpinned by the capability of its people.
Good practice in training and development has an important role in building the capability of the sector to plan for, respond to, and recover from emergencies.
It is critical that the emergency management sector continues to develop a culture of ongoing learning for organisations, people, and communities to better connect, understand different perspectives, and learn from each other in emergency management.
This is achieved by having a strong and comprehensive approach toward training and development with the emergency management sector and supporting a system of advanced learning.
Emergency Management Victoria works with the emergency management sector to provide contemporary training services and materials that are in keeping with the standards outlined in the Australian Qualifications Framework (External link).
This approach aims to achieve a coordinated integration of accreditation and endorsement across the sector.
How it works
Face to face learning
Training and development is delivered face to face, on-site at the Victorian Emergency Management Institute and a network of other training facilities across the state.
Online learning
Digital access to training is through EM Learning (External link) – the learning management system for emergency management personnel, with a range of tools, also accessible online.
Emergency Management Learning Reform
Lessons, reviews, and inquiries
To continue to improve and support the capability of the emergency management sector through learning and development, it is important to review and mature the way things are done.
In mid-2021, the Inspector General for Emergency Management (IGEM) released the following key reports that identified findings and recommendations related to capability, learning and development:
- IGEM Review of 10 years of reform in Victoria's emergency management sector (External link)
- IGEM Inquiry into the 2019-20 Victorian Fire Season (External link)
These reports and the lessons learnt over time, have highlighted areas of improvement and opportunity for the emergency management sector to build a sustainable model for delivery and capability building for emergency management organisations into the future.
Research and collaboration to date has identified that learners are increasingly demanding a ‘consumer experience’ from training. There is an expectation that learning experiences will be centred around learners that are more autonomous, accustomed to accessing what they need when and where they need it, and where people can be time poor.
A traditional learning approach that is broadly used across the sector, while relevant and appropriate for many tasks, can be further enhanced by evidence-based learning methods that can adapt to the needs of the learner.
Next steps
To bring together the lessons, findings and outcomes gathered across reviews, inquiries and reports, development of a Learning Reform Action Plan is planned. It will bring together all this valuable information to deliver and build a sustainable plan for the future of learning across the sector.
Emergency Management Victoria will lead the development and implementation of the Learning Reform Action Plan, in partnership and collaboration with emergency management organisations. This is an exciting time as the emergency management sector re-invigorates its approach to learning.
Collaboration is already underway to deliver sustainable outcomes for learning reform across the sector now and into the future.
Further developments and updates will be provided on this page over the coming months.
The department acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of the land and acknowledges and pays respect to their Elders, past and present.