Therecent restructure of theFPAhas not stemmed staff departures with public policy and government relations manager Con Hristodoulidis and international and certification standards senior manager Ken Bruce leaving at the end of March.
The departure of Hristodoulidis and Bruce adds to 11 departures since the restructure of the FPA late last year which resulted in the association’s staff numbers being cut by 25 from 73. The further departures effectively reduce staff numbers to half of the December 2003 figures.
According to sources within the FPA, the other staff came from its education unit, legal counsel department and two state office manager positions.
Hristodoulidis will leave the FPA after four years to take on the role of technical services manager withAXAin Melbourne while Bruce will lecture on accounting and management at the Melbourne campus of Central Queensland University after more than eight years with the association.
The departures come as FPA chief executive Kerrie Kelly publicly announced at the association’s Queensland State Conference last Friday that education was unlikely to be part of the association’s future due to profitability issues.
Speaking to attendees, Kelly gave the strongest indication yet that the FPA would abandon its role as an education provider and concentrate on developing and setting industry standards, as reported byMoney Managementin January.
“I don’t believe the FPA should be a provider of education. I’m looking closely at this issue and will be going back to the board with my recommendations,” Kelly says.
“TAFE and universities can provide the education and we’ll set the standards. Quite frankly, as an education provider it’s just not profitable for the FPA.”
Kelly says she was asked by the FPA board at its February 20 meeting to investigate the provision and delivery of education to members and will deliver a position paper at its April meeting.
