Industry Training


Most local councils in Australia and New Zealand have limited in-house street lighting knowledge, except for the major capital city councils. Better understanding the opportunities and benefits that LED street lighting and smart control technology can deliver will allow councils and main road authorities to more effectively liaise with service providers, make informed decisions and maximise outcomes for the community. LED street lighting and smart controls can provide a wider range of features, benefits and design options than legacy lighting technologies, but only if they are properly designed, procured, installed and maintained. Accordingly, soundly-based training and education will be needed to bridge the current knowledge gaps, particularly as LEDs and smart controls are new technologies for most involved in lighting.

The SLSC Programme plans to address that need for training through webinars, face-to-face workshops and continuing professional development (CPD) programmes.


Webinar Series

Webinars are a very cost efficient way to transfer knowledge. IPWEA has used them in the past to deliver training across many of its programmes and is therefore an experienced webinar training provider. IPWEA estimates that the SLSC Programme could deliver webinars at a rate of roughly one every two months. Webinars would be recorded and made available for later download on the SLSC website. IPWEA has initially identified 17 potential webinar topics which draw on the material developed as part of other SLSC activities and Programme Partner expertise. Current funding allows for two initial SLSC webinars in early 2017, and further funding will be sought from governments agencies or commercial sponsors to deliver at least ten webinars.


Face-to-face Training Workshops

Face-to-face training workshops and seminars still have many advantages over webinars, such as meeting the needs of those that are uncomfortable with learning from computer screens, being able to more naturally communicate with presenters and peers and to establish valuable contacts. But they are significantly more expensive to host, particularly outside the largest capital cities, so IPWEA has programmed them for roughly every two months in the alternate months that webinars are not being held, subject to getting enough registrations to make them cost viable.

In-house training is available on request. admin@slsc.org.au


CPD

IPWEA is committed to the principles of continuous professional development (CPD) to ensure that its members are engaged in the life-long learning that equips them to deliver contemporary and professional advice in the execution of their roles. Through the SLSC Programme IPWEA plans to provide a range of training and education activities, such as industry presentations, printed material, webinars and a resource-rich website knowledge portal. It is proposed to encourage member participation in these SLSC training and education opportunities by setting up and maintaining a continuous professional development (CPD) scheme. Whilst IPWEA has not yet established the formal CPD, pathways and accreditation arrangements that will underpin certification in the SLSC sector, it is keen to engage with academic partners who share our vision and wish to explore joint venturing in this endeavour.