For more than a decade, the Queensland Water Skills Partnership (WSP) has been bringing the urban water industry together to tackle workforce and skills challenges, build capability, and invest in the future of Queensland's water sector.
Established in 2011, the Partnership is an industry-led collaboration that helps ensure water service providers across Queensland have access to the skilled workforce needed to deliver safe, reliable and sustainable water and wastewater services to their communities.
In recognition of its success, the Water Skills Partnership received the Queensland Premier's Industry Collaboration Training Award in 2021, acknowledging the outstanding collaboration between water industry professionals to advance workforce development and training outcomes across the state.
Driving Industry-Led Workforce Development
The Partnership works on behalf of subscribers to identify emerging workforce challenges and deliver practical solutions that support attraction, retention, training and career development across the sector.
Key activities include:
- Securing funding for industry skills and training initiatives
- Coordinating statewide workforce development projects
- Developing workforce planning resources, research and industry reports
- Piloting innovative training and skills programs
- Facilitating collaboration and knowledge sharing across the sector
- Representing Queensland on national water industry skills and workforce committees
- Advocating for the workforce needs of regional, rural and remote water service providers
The direction of the Partnership is shaped by its subscribers, who meet regularly throughout the year to identify priorities and guide activities. These priorities are further informed through engagement with the broader industry, including the annual Water Skills Forum.
The Forum brings together managers, operators, HR professionals and sector leaders from across Queensland to discuss workforce trends, training needs and future challenges, ensuring Partnership activities remain relevant and responsive to industry needs.
Strong Industry Support
The Queensland Water Skills Partnership currently represents 52 subscriber organisations across Queensland, ranging from large metropolitan utilities to regional, rural and remote councils. This broad participation ensures the Partnership reflects the diverse workforce needs of Queensland's urban water sector and strengthens the industry's collective voice on skills and training matters.
The Water Skills Partnership is currently chaired by Kielly Glanville, with Corey Schilling serving as Deputy Chair.
By becoming a subscriber, organisations gain the opportunity to help shape industry workforce priorities, influence training initiatives, access valuable workforce planning resources, and contribute to collaborative projects that deliver benefits across the sector.
Subscription fees are calculated on a simple per-employee, per-financial-year basis.
To learn more about joining the Queensland Water Skills Partnership, contact skills@qldwater.com.au.
Current members
