eFlash #537
Date: 08-Jun-2022
In this edition: Public Comment on LEL Guidelines| Cessation of Water Operations Training| Gympie Regional Conference – Call for Papers
1. Public Comment on LEL Guidelines
qldwater is very excited to see that WSAA has this week released its proposed GUIDELINES FOR POTENTIALLY EXPLOSIVE ATMOSPHERES for public comment.
The document is a guideline for the management of explosive atmospheres in wastewater infrastructure.
This project is one that we know is important to our members. It was through the encouragement of several members grappling with this issue that WSAA took the project on, which is reflected in the project steering committee being stacked with representatives from Queensland including qldwater. This representation meant that the guideline was able to be shaped to be applicable to all water utilities, regardless of size.
The issue was viewed as being sufficiently important to the industry that project contributors agreed to the Guideline being publicly and freely available to all water utilities in Australia.
WSAA is very keen to receive industry comment on the document and its applicability. The draft guideline and comment form can be accessed here: https://www.wsaa.asn.au/news/public-comment-guidelines-potentially-explosive-atmospheres
The public comment period is open until 3 pm on 30 June, and feedback can be provided using the comments form and emailing james.gardner@wsaa.asn.au.
2. Cessation of Water Operations Training – TAFE Queensland
TAFE Queensland has made a decision to cease delivery in Water Operations Training due to limited product resources in this area. This decision has been made following careful consideration and after exhausting all other avenues.
This includes the qualifications listed below:
- NWP20119 Certificate II in Water Industry Operations
- NWP30219 Certificate III in Water Industry Operations (*all streams except Networking)
Existing apprentices undertaking the Networking stream can continue with their training. The information is for any apprentices /trainees that are not in the Networking steam.
Please also be aware that TAFE Queensland is continuing training for NWP40615 – Certificate IV in Water Industry Treatment.
What does this mean for you and your apprentice/trainee?
Your Apprenticeship Network Provider will be able to assist you in finding an alternative training provider so that your apprentice/trainee can complete their training. In the meantime, TAFE Queensland will continue to process assessments for students that have current enrolments.
Existing Enrolments
Your apprentice/trainee has 30 days from today to complete any existing assessments. Once completed these need to be submitted for marking. Results will be provided as long as assessments are submitted in 30 days.
Issuing of Results
TAFE Queensland will provide a Statement of Attainment for your apprentice / trainee with a record of results for all competencies achieved.
Next Steps
Please get in touch with your Apprenticeship Network Provider so they can assist you to find an alternative training provider.
TAFE Queensland regret any inconvenience that this decision may have on your business operations and they thank you for your support of TAFE Queensland during our delivery of Water Training.
qldwater has been raising awareness of the risk of our declining registered training market for some time with a number of strategies in place, but no silver bullets. While there is clearly a short term impact from these changes and this is very serious for the impacted students, there are other emerging opportunities. This subject will be front of mind in Skills Forum discussions tomorrow.
3. Gympie Regional Conference – Call for Papers
qldwater is excited to announce our next regional conference for 2022 will be held in Gympie, kindly hosted by Gympie Regional Council on the 13th & 14th of July.
Have you learnt something new that you would like to share? Or learnt a lot from an activity that other service providers should hear about? The call is now open for presentations to fill 20-25 minutes slots.
There will be a site tour taking place on Wednesday 13th followed by an optional dinner in the evening. The main conference day will be Thursday 14th July.
Presentations from qldwater members or organisations able to co-present with members will always be prioritised. We aim to make the process as easy as possible: you will need to provide us with a brief outline now and a PowerPoint a couple of days before the event. Please forward your ideas to dcameron@qldwater.com.au.
Sponsorship opportunities are available for the Gympie Regional Conference. Please contact Naomi (ncarragher@qldwater.com.au) if you are interested in sponsoring this event.
To view our upcoming events please visit our website: https://qldwater.com.au/upcoming-events