Workforce planning and development

Workforce planning and development are vital to ensuring the workforce is best able to deliver future services. 

Workforce planning is the systematic identification, analysis and planning of future workforce needs, based on future population needs and health strategy and policy.

Workforce development is the set of activities that ensure the workforce is best able to deliver future services. Workforce development activities are most effective when underpinned by robust workforce planning processes, informed by health strategy and policy.

Te Pou has developed the Getting it right workforce planning and development framework which describes how health policy, strategy, and population health needs are translated into a workforce that is best able to meet future service needs. The Getting it right series of resources support organisations to undertake future-focused, people-centred workforce planning and development activities. These resources will support services to make effective workforce decisions so they are well placed to deliver on health strategy and policy intentions or directions.

The resources in the Getting it right series include:

• Workforce planning guide: Getting the right people and skills in the future workforce.  A seven step guide that brings together a range of information and evidence to envisage and predict future service delivery patterns and their workforce requirements. The guide supports organisations to determine the gaps between the future workforce needed and their current position, and to develop a workforce action plan to address those gaps.
• Developing your workforce: An overview of a systems approach to workforce development. Presents advice, tools and resources to support effective workforce development activities across the five domains of workforce development. 
• Training your workforce: Getting the most out of training and development. Describes how to ensure that training is the right thing to do, and activities are effective and sustainable. 

Over time, more resources will be added to the collection.

These resources provide useful information for people who are new to workforce planning and development, and also meet the needs of more experienced people by providing better practice tips and ideas. The information provided is applicable across multiple levels, including individual services, organisations, groups and networks within DHB-locality, regionally and nationally.