We caught up with one of this year's Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) participants, Craig Pearson, Information Technology Coordinator, Coorong District Council, and module organiser, Laura Morgan, Manager Property, Mount Barker District Council, to find out more about their experiences with the ELP.

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

Having recently joined the local government sector, my director asked if I would be interested in the program. Eager to broaden my knowledge across different areas of local government, I recognised this as an excellent opportunity. The program’s prospectus promised substantial personal and professional growth, as well as the chance to network with colleagues from other councils.

To date, the program has exceeded expectations, offering a diverse range of topics and a fantastic range of tutors and guest speakers. While it has pushed me beyond my comfort zone - an aspect I had not fully anticipated - this challenge has proven to be the most rewarding part of the experience.

A recent module focused on Media and Engagement – what were some of your takeaways from this module? 

Media and Engagement aren't really areas that I would be involved with on a day-to-day basis so I went into the module with an open mind as to what I could learn from the day. The group who organised the module did a fantastic job, with a wide range of views on strategies for managing media, engagement and community consultation. Having Kate O’Neill take us on her career journey gave great insight and inspiration into taking risks and not letting others tell your story. It has been a continued theme from guest speakers, to embrace the unknown and say yes to new challenges.

The 45 minute ‘express masterclass’ by Brett Manuel was highly entertaining, and participants were able to see the value in which having real experience and expertise in engagement is favourable within local government.

What are you most looking forward to as the program comes to close? 

Witnessing the growth of all Program participants. Collectively you can see the level of confidence increase, so I am excited to see the results of this in the final presentations. Having worked on our group project for around six months now, I am looking forward to the opportunity to present the final report to local government colleagues, executives and the other ELP participants.