The Water Industry Skills Taskforce (WIST), led by AWA,
was established to promote and oversee a nationally coordinated effort to
address the skills shortage in the water sector. It is the intention of
the Taskforce to work collaboratively with Government initiatives to
reduce the impact of the water skills shortage, through an appropriate
combination of Government and Industry actions and strategies.
The Taskforce comprises CEO-level
representation from the water industry and related education and government
sectors. Current members of the Water Industry Skills Taskforce are:
- Tom Mollenkopf (Australian Water
Association)
- Adam Lovell (Water Services Association of
Australia)
- Eamonn Kelly (Thiess Services)
- Anne Barker (City West Water)
- James Cameron (National Water Commission)
- Paul Beerworth (Department of Education,
Employment and Workplace Relations)
- Peter Bernich (Government Skills
Australia)
- Mark Pascoe (International WaterCentre)
- TBC (Irrigation Australia)
- Chris Hertle (GHD)
National
Water Skills Strategy: Business Plan
Following results of a COAG initiated National
Water Skills Audit in 2008, which quantified skill gaps in the water sector
over the next ten years, a National Water Skills Strategy, designed to address
skills gaps, was endorsed by COAG in December 2009. The Strategy outlines
specific items to be undertaken which will enable better utilisation of
existing Government programs to assist the water sector in bridging projected
skills gaps.
AWA was engaged by the National Water Commission to develop the Business Plan to operationalise the National
Water Skills Strategy. The Business Plan outlined the framework for
implementation, including governance, funding, and timetables, and included
details on specific actions to be undertaken to achieve each item identified in
the Strategy. The Draft Business Plan was then developed with preliminary
stakeholder input by July, incorporated further industry feedback during August
and September with the Final Business Plan being completed and endorsed by the Taskforce
in October 2010.
February 2013 WIST Update
In November 2012, WIST convened a National Water Industry Skills Forum in Canberra. The Forum aimed to articulate the critical skills issues and identify current and emerging workforce needs of the sector and identify potential solutions for the future. Fully funded by participating members, this by invitation only event drew together the insights and expertise from leading industry members across Australia.
Using the expert facilitation skills of the Nous Group, WIST is now pleased to release the final report. We believe the report, will provide an excellent resource for industry to refer to as they develop plans and strategies for the future.
Next Steps
WIST is meeting in March 2013 to discuss how they can respond to the priority issues identified by the Forum.
DOCUMENTS FOR DOWNLOAD
Water Industry Skills Forum Report - Jan 2013
COAG
National Water Skills Strategy - Dec 2009
National
Water Skills Audit - June 2008
National Water Skills Business Plan - Oct 2010
National Water Skills Strategy Business Plan Review - Feb 2012
AWA National Water Skills Audit Report - 2011
Charter Water Industry Skills Taskforce - July 2012
REVIEW OF
NATIONAL WATER SKILLS BUSINESS PLAN
In late 2011, on behalf of WIST,
AWA undertook a review of the activities that had been defined in the Business
Plan. The Plan had identified over 50 projects across all states and
territories, some had been already underway and some were newly identified as
useful projects to be undertaken. A wide range of project owners were also
identified however all relied on funding from their respective owners. Although
AWA itself has been pursuing many projects listed in the Business Plan, it has had
limited capacity to drive full implementation of the Strategy. The review
demonstrated that if there was to be effective deployment of the Strategy going
forward, a combination of efforts at the jurisdictional level, as well as
financially resourcing those projects identified as national priorities, would
be necessary. To this end, the review recommended that the Strategy be
streamlined to reflect only the highest priority issues and that a clearer
funding model should be established.
A copy of the Business Plan review is now available.
REVIEW OF THE WIST CHARTER
Following discussions based on the Business Plan Review which was presented at their Feb 2012 meeting, WIST undertook to streamline their activities as recommended by the review. This in turn required a full review of the WIST Charter.This review has now been completed and adopted by the WIST at the July 2012 meeting. A copy of the revised Charter is available for download.
AWA NATIONAL WATER SKILL AUDIT REPORT 2011
AWA undertook a national skills audit of the Australian water industry throughout August and September 2011. The purpose of the audit was to obtain current information about the Australian water sector’s workforce including skills needs and requirements that could be used to guide future projects and investments. The first AWA National Water Skills Audit attracted 46 respondents from a range of organisation types and locations. AWA would like to thank respondents for their contribution. Despite the sample size some anticipated and interesting trends have emerged. The report is now available for download.