Conference Papers | 2009 Conference Papers

BETTER ACCESS TO APPROPRIATE TRAINING FOR THE QUEENSLAND WATER INDUSTRY

Rob Fearon, CEO, Queensland Water Directorate
Kate Niblett, Key Account Manager - Water Training, TAFE Queensland

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KEY WORDS

Training, qualifications, water industry worker, qldwater, TAFE.

DISCUSSION

A common complaint of the Queensland water industry is that it is difficult to access training that is tailored to the needs of water service providers. Current Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) delivering water industry training in Queensland have well recognised strengths but the demands of the industry for improved training products and new delivery approaches are outstripping the capacity of RTOs.

This situation is likely to get worse in the next few years. Skills shortages in technical industries, retirement of long-tem workers in an industry dominated by ‘baby boomers’ and increasing community and regulatory standards all contribute to what will be a
critical issue for the water industry in the next decade.

The Queensland Water Directorate (qldwater) is a membership body for water service providers in Queensland and represents more than 95% of the, predominantly local government, water industry. Attraction and retention of staff is a principal concern of qldwater members and there is strong support at all levels for a program to develop better access to training to support staff recognition, career paths and skills development of water industry workers.

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