Join the LG Professionals SA People and Culture Network as they explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping strategic workforce planning, workforce development and management within local government. Attendees will gain insights into innovative AI applications, hear practical case studies, and engage in forward-thinking discussions about strategic workforce planning (SWP) enhanced by technologies.
This Forum will be held on Wednesday 15 October 2025 from 9:15AM – 1:15PM at Tiwu Kumungka Blackwood and via Zoom
Further information on each session is below:
Setting the Scene – The transformative potential of AI in Workforce Development
Wendy Perry
Managing Director, Workforce BluePrint
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant future, it’s an essential part of how local government workforce professionals shape the talent landscape, today and tomorrow. Dive into the transformative potential of AI in workforce development with Wendy Perry, Managing Director of Workforce BluePrint as she highlights how AI-driven tools and techniques are revolutionising every step of strategic workforce planning.
Wendy has a strong reputation as a leading authority on Strategic Workforce Planning & Development and is passionate about the potential for AI to re-shape the future of strategic workforce planning. She has designed and implemented systems for strategic workforce planning and development, entrepreneurship and education throughout her career, working across Australia, and internationally.
Workforce planning traditionally requires the meticulous gathering, analysis, and interpretation of vast amounts of data - often a complex and time-consuming challenge. With AI, particularly advanced language models and custom-trained AI chatbots, workforce professionals can now rapidly process and synthesise large volumes of evidence and intelligence, making workforce insights more accurate, timely, and actionable.
Wendy will also be facilitating an interactive session: AI Tools and Strategic Foresight in Workforce Planning.
Drawing on extensive experience working with businesses and councils, Wendy will:
- Illustrate how AI is embedded in every step of the workforce planning framework (TAKE ACTION) —from environmental scanning and demand forecasting to skills gap analysis and scenario modelling using strategic foresight.
- Share Practical applications of AI for scanning diverse data sources, including labour market trends, demographic shifts, and organisational intelligence, turning complex data into clear, evidence-based decisions.
- Draw on real-world examples of workforce plan outputs enhanced by AI, showcasing increased efficiency and improved strategic recommendations with live demos.
- Facilitate an AI-powered desktop scan exercise to demonstrate real-time workforce evidence analysis.
- Touch on the latest AI tools designed specifically for workforce professionals, including applications for HR, L&D.
- Highlight common workforce planning gaps and suggest collaborative ways forward.
Local Government Case Study – City of Mitcham
Kate O'Neill, General Manager Community and Organisational Services, will take us through Mitcham’s transformative journey with AI over the past 12 months. As a strategic priority for the organisation, AI has been actively embraced across teams, with Co-pilot becoming a key enabler in daily work. From early experimentation to confident adoption, Mitcham’s people have leaned into the possibilities of AI. Now, with growing momentum and engagement, the focus shifts to shaping the future, developing a clear strategy to embed AI into the organisation’s culture and operations.
Strategic Workforce Planning at Scale - Lessons from Defence and Nuclear
Join Ben Keen, General Manager City Development, City of Marion and Chris Saint, Senior Nuclear & Submarine Manager, Babcock as they unpack how Babcock has enabled strategic workforce planning across global Defence and nuclear programs. You’ll see how an integrated approach supports long-range planning (3–10+ years) for workforces in the tens of thousands, while also driving operational/tactical actions (1–2 years) and clear individual development pathways for line managers and team members.
The session will showcase tools and methods that proved resilient through COVID, anticipate demographic shifts such as retirement waves, and map capability requirements vs actual to target training that closes gaps. Expect practical takeaways on scenario planning, pipeline visibility, and governance that translate across sectors—whether you’re building future-ready capability or tightening near-term workforce execution.
Workforce data at scale in the South Australian public sector: Trusted foundations for AI enablement
Join Kevin Paul, Manager, Workforce Business Intelligence at the Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment (OCPSE), as he shares how OCPSE enables South Australian public sector agencies to move from static reports to reusable workforce data assets that leaders can trust. This session will explore the essentials that make AI safe and useful at scale: shared definitions, data quality assessments, lineage, and role-based access, with self-service delivered as a product. You will see how these foundations power the annual State of the Sector reporting and support evidence-based decision-making across agencies, shortening cycle times, aligning metrics, and strengthening planning at multiple horizons, from operational delivery to strategic capability building.
A short demo will showcase AccuFind, an AI-based policy platform that delivers targeted, auditable guidance. By navigating complex policy and legal frameworks in real time, it reduces time to decision-making, empowers teams with clearer next steps, and strengthens compliance.
Hot Topics and Open Discussion
The forum will close with an interactive discussion on emerging challenges, opportunities, and next steps for collaborative workforce planning across councils.
Registrations for this forum are open to Local Government Professionals Australia, SA members, council employees, employees of regional subsidiaries and Local Government Professionals Australia, SA invited guests.
By registering for this forum you will be subscribed to the LG Professionals SA mailing list. Should you wish to unsubscribe at any time, please email admin@lgprofessionalssa.org.au.
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