Skills eFlash #139 New

Date: 16-Sep-2025

Water Skills Partnership News

Nominate Now for Operator Awards

qldwater is proud to sponsor the Young Operator of the Year and Operator of the Year (Civil/Allrounder) Awards at the WIOA QLD Conference each year. This year, the award ceremony will take place on 29 October in Bundaberg.

Nominations are now open, and managers are encouraged to nominate their outstanding operators—those who inspire, lead, and make a difference every day. Let’s continue to shine a light on the unsung heroes of our water networks.

Last year’s winner, Ross Watt, said it felt great to be valued and appreciated and that nominating someone for this award shows faith in your employees and also helps to get recognition for your local team.

Do you have a team member who goes above and beyond? Someone who embodies excellence, innovation, and community spirit? Now is the time to recognise their contributions.

Nominations close on Friday, 17 October. The online forms are available here:

Young Operator of the Year

Operator of the Year (Civil / Allrounder)

Joint Statement: Call for a Feasibility Study into a Water Industry Apprenticeship

We are pleased to advise that the Joint Statement calling for a feasibility study into a Water Industry Apprenticeship has now been finalised, signed by key sector stakeholders, and submitted to the Minister. This marks an important milestone in our ongoing advocacy to ensure water operators receive the recognition and structured career pathways they deserve.

The statement highlights the increasing complexity of operator roles, the lack of a trade-equivalent apprenticeship pathway, and the urgent need to test the feasibility of such a model through a rigorous, evidence-based process. It draws on the successful approach taken in the agricultural sector and sets out the risks of inaction, including skills shortages, workforce ageing, and safety concerns. The Joint Statement makes a clear, united call for government to commission a feasibility study that will provide the evidence needed to make an informed decision on the future of training and recognition in our industry.

Case for change request made on the Case for Change Proforma

Earlier this year, we raised concerns with BuildSkills Australia about their Case for Change template, which requires applicants to supply the names of five other parties who share the same position. We believe this requirement creates an unnecessary administrative barrier to providing feedback and risks excluding smaller regional operators who may not have access to five supporting organisations. For context, other Jobs and Skills Councils such as Skills Insight simply provide an email address for feedback, without requiring you to complete an online document.

On 2 September 2025, BuildSkills advised that they intend to keep this requirement in place but did not provide further explanation. We are disappointed with this response and will be pursuing the issue further, as we believe that every operator’s perspective should be considered on its own merit.

National Water Package and Training Package Framework

With the introduction of the new ASQA Training Package Organising Framework on 1 July 2025, qldwater has formally raised concerns with BuildSkills about the non-compliance of the National Water Package (NWP) qualifications. We have highlighted that the current units of competency do not clearly articulate the skills and knowledge required for competent practice, which is creating confusion for employers, assessors, and training providers, and leading to inconsistent outcomes for learners.

We have requested that BuildSkills undertake an immediate review of the NWP to ensure that performance criteria and evidence requirements are robust, clearly defined, and aligned with the new framework. This review must also ensure compliance with other relevant regulatory and licensing requirements so that operators and utilities can have confidence in the training system supporting our sector.

High Pressure Water Jetting

This month, Mackay will host high pressure water jetting training, bringing together operators from Isaac and Mackay Regional Councils. This training continues to build capability in a high-risk area of work, ensuring our operators are skilled, competent, and working safely.

We also recently wrapped up a highly successful three-day program hosted by Gympie Regional Council, with participants from North and South Burnett, Gympie, and Fraser Coast. Feedback highlighted the importance of upgrading personal protective equipment (PPE), ensuring tools and equipment are fit-for-purpose, and revisiting Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS). These lessons will directly inform future training delivery, helping to embed safer practices across the state.

Fundamentals of Jar Testing

Are your operators confident in the how and why of jar testing?

We are currently developing a webinar on jar testing to support operator upskilling in water treatment fundamentals. Jar testing is a critical skill that underpins effective coagulation, flocculation, and overall treatment plant optimisation, but is often overlooked in formal training pathways.

The webinar will provide practical insights into the process, common pitfalls, and the chemistry and maths that sit behind effective testing. We see this as a valuable opportunity to provide flexible, accessible training that can benefit both new and experienced operators. The date will be confirmed shortly and shared with all members.

Call for Resources

We are calling out to the sector for training resources that could support operator development. If your council or organisation has developed guides, checklists, case studies, or other practical tools that you believe could benefit others, we would love to hear from you.

Our goal is to build a sector-owned library of practical tools that operators can access and use in the field. If you have something to contribute, please contact us directly so we can review and share it through the Water Skills Partnership network.

Grey Card – Asbestos Awareness

Finally, a reminder to ensure your network crews are completing the Grey Card training. This program is designed to raise awareness of asbestos risks in water assets and provide operators with the knowledge to manage them safely. With many of our networks still containing asbestos cement pipes, it is critical that crews know how to work confidently and safely around these aging assets.

ISJA Update

How can you measure the impact of skilling and workforce projects, if there’s no data to know where you’re starting from? This was the challenge for Cass, who’s role it is as the ISJA to provide evidence-based advice on workforce trends and skills gaps to the Queensland Government.

Representing the needs of the broader water sector including urban water service providers, small businesses who work in the industry, O&M organisations and more, Cass and the Queensland Water Industry Reference Group wanted to ensure activities delivered throughout were supported by evidence and data, and change was able to be measured.

Leveraging sector feedback on ANZSCO/OSCA and ANZSIC codes, Cass set out to illustrate what Queensland’s broader water industry looks like including how many businesses make up the industry, and the size of the workforce. Unfortunately, the project almost stopped there because of a few key challenges:

Many data portals are available to support workforce planning however all provide disparate data which leads to uncertainty
The total size of the water sector workforce cannot be determined from ANZSIC data, as many businesses – including Councils in Queensland – do not primarily offer water supply, sewerage and drainage services
Data portals do not distil occupation-level information at usable levels for Queensland’s water sector
There is no data available on occupational vacancies for the Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Services industry
Skilled migration opportunities depend on data analysis, state and territory governments and Jobs and Skills Councils agreeing on the same challenges.

Seven opportunities to improve or better capture the water sector workforce and skilling state-of-play have also been documented, with the report already proving beneficial in the 2025 Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) Consultations. The report can be found here.

Cass would like to acknowledge the support and collaboration from the Department of Trade, Employment and Training throughout the project who have, and continue to, connect and collaborate on solutions.

The Industry Skills and Jobs Advisor is supported and funded by the Queensland Government.

Other News

Queensland Mental Health Week

Celebrated annually in October, Queensland Mental Health Week promotes the importance of mental health and wellbeing and aims to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.

WorkSafe Queensland will be hosting two key events, a flagship breakfast in Brisbane and a free online webinar designed to help strengthen workplaces and communities’ approach to mental health and wellbeing.

Launch into Work for Business Program

The Launch into Work for Business program is a federal initiative from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) to help employers fill entry-level roles through tailored pre-employment projects.

DEWR works with the business (or a group of businesses via a coordinator) to co-design a project that suits their recruitment needs. Participants are selected based on values, attributes and role requirements, completing 2–12-week pre-employment training with mentoring and support. All suitable participants who complete the project are offered secure roles.

Benefits for employers include a reliable pipeline of entry-level workers, flexible timing (no funding rounds), proven success with 80% employment outcomes. DEWR covers project costs.

The program is ideal for roles like civil labourers, apprentices, cleaners, gardeners, waste collectors, and more. It has already been trialled in construction and services sectors across CQ, NQ, and SEQ. This is a great opportunity for councils, builders, and contractors to collaborate.

Email launchintowork@dewr.gov.au or visit Launch Into Work for more information.