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 A strong partnership between GSA and Environmental Health Australia (EHA) works to address current skill shortages in Environmental Health.
Andy Smith, GSA’s Local Government Industry Advisory Officer, maintains regular communication with EHA to ensure that qualifications and units of competency from the Local Government Training Package reflect the important role of Environmental Health Technicians in the sector.
Current initiatives the two organisations are focused on include:
- Recognition of the role of Environmental Health Technicians and provision of a career path within the Local Government Training Package;
- Professional development opportunities for both GSA and EHA to meet the needs of members and stakeholders;
- Discussions relating to articulation between the VET sector and the higher education sector for the environmental health industry;
- Promoting work experience and on-the-job training within the local government sector; and
- Identifying complementary roles and skills within the local government sector and environmental health industry.
As a Registered Training Organisation offering units of competency from the Local Government Training Package, EHA demonstrates its commitment to the VET sector. GSA is pleased to assist EHA to expand their scope of registration to include units of competency in areas that relate to:
- Environmental Health Training (Certificate IV and higher) from the Local Government Training Package nationally
- Public health emergency training for national delivery aligned to the relevant units of competency
- A Legal Management Course which also contains a unit of competency.
 Innovative forms of delivery are also encouraged and GSA is pleased to acknowledge the keen interest in web-based and flexible delivery strategies being explored by EHA as part of its nationally recognised training interest.
GSA and EHA will progress a number of strategies and projects in 2010 including the mapping of career pathways for environmental health workers. A key aspect of capacity building within the industry will focus on how GSA and EHA can work together to recognise the contribution and potential of the existing workforce. The reskilling of existing workers in the local government sector to take more active roles within the environmental health industry by completing appropriate qualifications will be showcased and encouraged.
EHA National President Dr Jim Smith has accepted an invitation to be Chair of the Steering Committee to oversee a continuous improvement project for the Local Government Training Package in 2009. Planned improvements to the Training Package include:
- Incorporation of the Diploma of Local Government (Environmental Health and Building Assessment) which is currently an accredited short course in NSW;
- Revision of regulatory services qualifications at the Certificate III, IV and Diploma levels;
- Identification of units of competency relevant to elected council members in the key areas of finance and budgets; legislative frameworks; planning including land use planning; and governance.
A similar project that will also contribute to the capacity building of the sector will include the identification of case studies of young people who are already working in the environmental health industry, and these case studies will be used to promote the industry to school leavers thus attracting new workers to the local government sector.
For more information on the combined activities of Government Skills Australia and Environmental Health Australia, please contact Andy Smith.
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