There are many ways of learning from other agencies, here are few examples…

Study Tours

Individuals, agency or board staff visiting another agency and viewing their work, for example Cornwall Park Board members in NZ visited Centennial (Olympic Park) in Sydney. DOC, New Zealand staff visited the US and Canada to learn from their management of concession activities in protected areas.

Shadowing

This entails working with someone for one to two weeks to see how they do their job.

Fire fighting or back filling staff positions

This is to assist an agency working in a crisis, for example most major fires in Canada, New Zealand, the US and Australia result in fire staff being sent from one country to another. 

Accelerated learning exchanges

An example of this is sending a fire team to work with a more specialised professional team in another country.

Seasonal exchanges of rangers

This is an arrangement between agencies to boost capacity or ensure year round employment, for example Parks Victoria staff exchange with Parks Canada staff in each others peak season.

Management Exchanges

Job exchanges between individuals of agencies for 3, 6 or 12 months. For example, DOC in New Zealand exchanged a solicitor with New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change and another with Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the United Kingdom. 

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“I personally have found I am still getting benefit from my NZ exchange even when moving into differing roles that I was not directly involved within DOC.  It is surprising how much I witnessed but didn't process at the time. When looking back at the organisation through different eyes I can now understand and still learn from the approaches that DOC was taking at that time”. 

Andrew Roberts from Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service reflecting on an exchange undertaken five years earlier.

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Exchanges can be either as a result of structured formal programs or organised at the initiative of one or two staff. The bottom line is that exchanges will not be able to take place without organisational support.

Skill exchange programs appear to work best when the organisations themselves have clear policies, understand the value of exchanges and are prepared to promote and support them. Importantly, organisations participating in exchange programs need be clear about the expertise they want to attract and the skills they can offer in exchange. 

A transparent selection process that chooses staff who deserve the opportunity and who can represent the agency and country as ‘ambassadors’ has also proved to be important in developing a successful program.