N. WHYTE and B. DAVIS Continued from page 13 After additional comments from industry speakers, the meeting developed the motion: That a tri-partite working group convened by AWWA and AWRC facilitate the establishment and formal recognition of a national Water Industry Training Council, the roles of which are to include the development and implementation of national competency standards specific to the water industry. On being put to the vote, this was carried unanimously. The meeting also resolved (a) The meeting will reconvene in Sydney during the AWWA/ WMAA Hazardous and Solid Waste Convention and Trade Exhibition which is being held between March 29 and April 2 1992. The purpose of the meeting is to provide feedback on AWWA/AWRC activities. (b) The convenors will issue newsletters to the industry reporting on progress. (c) AWWA will make available its Branch network to facilitate discussion within the industry, and the flow of information between industry and the working group. It was not possible to get any real agreement at the meeting as to the composition of the Working Group or the National Body. This is understandable, and some suggestions have been prepared for AWWA Federal Executive, as to who should be involved and what the program should be.
A NATIONAL WATER INDUSTRY TRAINING ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED) AND WATER INDUSTRY TRAINING COUNCIL In the light of the Queensland experience, it is considered prudent to proceed along the lines of establishing an incorporated national association (WITA) which operates as a legal entity, in parallel with the thrust to gain approval for a national WITC.
The need to have a legally constituted body to represent industry members in their negotiations is augmertted by the fact that should WITC status be deferred or refused for whatever reason, the WITA can continue to cater for industry training needs and seek project funding from DEBT and from water industry organisations. The AWWA Standing Committee on Education and Training has prepared a program for consideration by the AWWA/AWRC Working Group which provides for the formation of a Water Industry Training Association by the end of April, its incorporation in Canberra by the end of June, and application for recognition lodged with DEBT and the NTB in July. The application for WITC status would also be made in July. On approval of a WITC, the WITA would seek a change of name and become the WITC (Aust) Inc. If approval is not forthcoming, the WITA would continue to do the work of a WITC. Although such a Program may appear somewhat ambitious, this path has to a certain degree already been navigated, and the WITA (Qld) is pleased to lend the benefit of its experience towards the achievement of these national objectives. With appropriate assistance from all the other interested parties, this Program can be realised . One thing we can be sure of, is that in the current economic and industrial climate, if we cannot get our act together nationally, there are any number of international Water Industry Training bodies currently active in the Region which would be pleased to step in and fill the breach. However, we can ill-afford the cost of importing this expertise, nor should we need to when the talents and the knowledge already reside within the industry here. All we need to do is accept the need, actively strive to link together all these skills, and then share themwith the rest of the vast Australian Water Industry, for the benefit of all. A national Water Industry Training Association/ Council is the mechanism to achieve this. With a cooperative and unified Australian Water Industry, we will be in a position not only to ensure our own training and education needs are met in an efficient manner, but to earn valuable overseas revenue at the same time.
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