Water Industry Worker Program Evaluation Report
Date: 29-Jun-2017
An evaluation of the Water Industry Worker (WIW) program is now available online here.
The Water Industry Worker (WIW) competency training journey began in Southeast Queensland with a pilot program including 22 staff members from the field maintenance and construction teams of Ipswich City Council, Logan City Council, Redland City Council, Brisbane City Council, Gold Coast City Council and Scenic Rim, Lockyer and Somerset Councils. This pilot program was seen as the first step of a major undertaking, effectively designing a custom industry accepted qualification, organising industry demand, and supporting the training supply market to develop an efficient model that could be replicated across other skill streams.
The WIW training program is focused on the formal recognition of skills and training of employees within the civil construction and maintenance field in the water industry, with a strong emphasis on on-the-job learning. Participants undertake either a Certificate II or III in Water Operations – Civil. Further stages of the program involve moving through to Certificate IV Water Operations and/or Diploma of Water Operations qualifications for supervisory staff.
Previous anecdotal feedback on the WIW program suggested that it has been a valuable workforce development exercise for the industry and resulted in improved skills and flexibility in using those skills in the workforce. Such feedback has been reinforced by this formal evaluation which indicates that the majority of participants in the program have gained skills through the training and that these skills have been utilised by the water service providers who have been able to modify their workplace practices in a more efficient manner.
A number of recommendations for the future of the program are outlined in the report. Back to list