Information Management Program Map highlighting the Education stage of the process.

Information Management Staff must be inducted and trained in the value of information and in their information management responsibilities and any relevant policies.

Relationship to the Information Management Standard

Once the Information Management Plan has been developed, staff must be inducted and trained in the value of information and in their information management responsibilities and any relevant policies (Behaviour 1.4).

Staff allocated to perform information management related functions must be appropriately skilled and have the capability to manage your agency’s information assets .

However, all staff must have a basic understanding of information management.

A large part of the success of your agency’s Information Management Program relies on establishing the right culture and adherence to information management policies and procedures and awareness of their information management responsibilities (Behaviours 3.2 and 2.9).

Educating staff in the value of information and the management of information assets is key to fostering a culture of good information management  (Behaviour 1.5).

Different messages for difference audiences

Before developing education or training tools, determine what information management messages your agency wants to convey, as these will differ depending on the audience.  For example, the message to:

  • executive and senior management might emphasise that good information management supports achievement of business goals and objectives and mitigates business risk.
    It might also indicate management’s ultimate responsibility for compliant information management across your agency, as well as meeting regulatory requirements, all of which contribute towards the fostering of an organisational culture that values and manages information as an asset and supports business objectives and activities
  • information technology professionals might focus on system and infrastructure reliability, security, design and acquisition of systems that are fit-for-purpose
  • business owners might focus on their responsibilities for overseeing the implementation of the Information Management Policy in their area and ensuring good information management behaviours are practiced
  • operational staff might focus on their individual and collective responsibility to create information arising from decisions and actions, managing it securely and storing it in the designated systems.

To assist all staff in gaining basic information management training, State Records has an online Introduction to Information Management course.

It is recommended this training course be included as part of your agency’s induction program and on its own internal training platform for easy access to help ensure all staff have a basic understanding of their information management responsibilities.

Identify your agency’s audiences, what their required competencies are and the key messages that need to be conveyed.

Programs should be tailored appropriately according to the competence of each audience.  It will also depend on whether your agency is introducing something new (such as software) or reinforcing previous training.

Audiences will vary in size and the frequency of messaging might be different for each.  This will affect the style and content of the education or training programs.

Education content and delivery options

The aim is to build and maintain organisational capability to achieve your agency’s information management objectives and compliance requirements.

Education and training needs to communicate the relevant messages in the right way. This includes:

  • what to communicate
  • how to communicate
  • when to communicate and how often
  • with whom to communicate
  • who should communicate it.

Education and training are critical for fostering a good information governance culture for the chief executive and senior management to promote and champion, creating awareness of the information management values that should be reflected in your agency’s operational activities.

The below Table provides a summary of options for different types of information management education and training and the means of delivering it.

Responsibilities for delivery will vary according to the roles that exist in your agency and your agency’s size and functions.  Where the role ‘Information Manager’ is shown, in smaller agencies that task may be undertaken by another person or by an external specialist.

Table: Training and capability building in information management

Training

Audience

Delivery Mechanism

Induction

New staff, contractors and volunteers

  • provided by the Information Manager as part of the existing induction program
  • content includes core principles and mandatory requirements
  • face-to-face briefing + one-page reference guide to resources available on your agency’s intranet

and / or

General awareness

Management

All staff, including contractors and volunteers

  • key messages according to audience and your agency
  • delivered by the Information Manager
  • targeted brief sessions at staff meetings, ‘pop up’ briefings in lunchrooms or similar – five-minute messages
  • regular short messages or bulletins on your agency’s intranet
  • easily accessible suite of guidance documents on the intranet, for example the Information Management Policy, procedures and FAQ’s
  • provision of a central contact for Information Management advice and support

Tailored

Staff with specific information management responsibilities, such as system administrator

  • externally commissioned program for System Administrators
  • structured training program for staff with different information management responsibilities and on-the-job training and / or mentoring, for example educate Information and Communication Technology staff about retention, disposal and system compliance requirements (metadata)
  • contracted training or engagement of external expertise including knowledge transfer as part of the contract

Electronic Document and Records Management Systems (EDRMS)

All staff, contractors and volunteers using the EDRMS

  • initial comprehensive training on rollout
  • provided by:
    • external supplier of the system (where an external application is purchased) on a train-the-trainer basis
    • super-users for business unit training
  • other training and support provided by the Information Manager:
    • small classroom-style, hands-on training
    • quick (one-page) guides on specific, commonly used functions
    • one-on-one instruction for specific staff (such as senior managers)
    • simple user guidelines on the intranet, hyperlinked between topics
    • refresher – as needed
  • help desk for non-IT infrastructure queries and guidance on information management

Exit Interview

Separating staff (and contractors and volunteers where relevant)

  • a standardised handover process for information management included as part of a staff exit procedure
  • staff member to provide overview of information used for their operations to the incoming incumbent or person conducting exit interview
  • ongoing requirements of the Code of Ethics to maintain the confidentiality of government information included

Review and monitoring

Regularly review and update your agency’s information management education and training.  This will ensure staff knowledge and skills are updated or developed as information management responsibilities and the value of your agency’s information assets change.

Refresher courses should be provided on a regular basis.

Maintaining the ongoing education of staff is important, both as part of ongoing business and because of any changes to your agency’s information management requirements.

Staff adherence to education and training should be monitored and non-compliance addressed (Behaviour 2.9). Provide additional education and training as required.

Page last updated: 21 April 2023