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Services Expo brings greater understanding

A recent Expo staged by the City of Frankston in Victoria has not only served to better inform the public of the range of services and facilities that Council provides, it has also encouraged staff to recognise the value of their achievements.

Mark Sturgess, Chairman of the Organising Committee and General Manager Customer Service pointed out the inaugural Expo held last year was such a success it won a Federal Award but this year's Expo was even bigger and better.

Staff competed with each other to prepare the best exhibits for the Expo. These were judged by a panel including the Mayor, Councillor Bill Parkin, Chief Executive Officer, Jon Edwards and Mark Sturgess.

The Expo was opened by the Mayor and Paraolympian gold medallist, John Lindsay. Mark Sturgess said the aim of the Expo is to demystify Council. A range of activities and features were designed to attract a broad group of people to find out more about Council.

"To this end we made a special effort to involve local school children including the preps," he said. "The children had a great time and also enjoyed being able to look at Council's offices."

Older students took a great interest in the career displays.

"As one of the biggest employers of local people in the region, career information about Local Government is important," Mark Sturgess said. "It is in our interest to display career opportunities in Council. Students are surprised at the range of work available."

He said that a most important aspect of the exercise is the pride it gives staff in what they do. It is also one of the few times staff get to network across the whole organisation. Indoor and outdoor staff have a chance to see and discuss work from plant operators through to maternal and child health nurses. It adds to their understanding of the range of services Council provides.

"As Chairman of the Organising Committee, I never had to 'crank up' the 12 staff representatives," Mark Sturgess said. "They enthusiastically devoted their time to the planning of the event. It was fantastic."

The Expo will now be a regular event where staff can showcase their own achievements and learn more about the organisation as a whole.

For further information contact Mark Sturgess, telephone (03) 9784 1888.

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