ANNUAL REPORT 09/10 - Forest and Wood Products Australia
ANNUAL REPORT 09/10 - Forest and Wood Products Australia
ANNUAL REPORT 09/10 - Forest and Wood Products Australia
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38 | OPERATIONS<br />
STRATEGY THREE:<br />
CAPABILITY ADOPTION AND PROMOTION<br />
During the year the activities under this strategy<br />
were broadened, in line with the 5-year Strategic<br />
Plan <strong>and</strong> Ministerial priorities, to include a greater<br />
focus on educational initiatives. This is in addition<br />
to the aims of facilitating industry improvement<br />
<strong>and</strong> adoption of best practice, disseminating R&D<br />
results <strong>and</strong> helping industry to access knowledge<br />
<strong>and</strong> technology developed elsewhere.<br />
Capability<br />
Two of the Ministerial priorities relate directly to the<br />
investment in capability:<br />
Workforce, skills <strong>and</strong> education – educating<br />
future scientists, improving the knowledge <strong>and</strong> skills<br />
of producers <strong>and</strong> encouraging people to work in<br />
the sector.<br />
Diversity – build strong leadership capacity in the<br />
sector <strong>and</strong> encourage a diversity of people in primary<br />
industries, including a greater role for Indigenous<br />
<strong>Australia</strong>ns, women <strong>and</strong> young people.<br />
Education initiatives<br />
A signifi cant event during the year was the completion<br />
<strong>and</strong> publication of a report, Review of <strong>Australia</strong>n <strong>Forest</strong>ry<br />
<strong>and</strong> <strong>Wood</strong> <strong>Products</strong> Education <strong>and</strong> Training Needs, by<br />
Rob de Fegely. The report was based on more than<br />
80 interviews with industry executives <strong>and</strong> reviews of<br />
activities in other countries <strong>and</strong> other industries.<br />
The report contains a series of recommendations to<br />
overcome existing gaps <strong>and</strong> identifi ed needs, including<br />
establishing the following:<br />
An up-to-date <strong>Australia</strong>n forest industry website.<br />
A limited primary <strong>and</strong> secondary schools program.<br />
A tertiary program incorporating vocational study,<br />
university level training <strong>and</strong> mid-career programs.<br />
The report can be downloaded from the corporate<br />
publications section of www.fwpa.com.au.<br />
Based on the de Fegely report, consultation with the<br />
industry <strong>and</strong> educational institutions <strong>and</strong> the 5 year<br />
Strategic Plan, FWPA has produced an education<br />
investment plan. The plan integrates <strong>and</strong> advances<br />
existing activities <strong>and</strong> new initiatives to provide the<br />
industry with a comprehensive program to meet current<br />
<strong>and</strong> future needs.<br />
FWPA <strong>ANNUAL</strong> <strong>REPORT</strong> <strong>09</strong>/<strong>10</strong><br />
Scholarships <strong>and</strong> awards<br />
Scholarships <strong>and</strong> awards programs, aimed at the industry<br />
<strong>and</strong> the research community, are designed to increase<br />
the industry’s capability to create <strong>and</strong> apply knowledge.<br />
These programs encompass people beginning their<br />
careers <strong>and</strong> those in mid-career, to maximise the<br />
opportunities for industry participants to increase their<br />
knowledge <strong>and</strong> develop their skills.<br />
A new initiative during the year was the sponsorship of<br />
an industry participant in the <strong>Australia</strong>n Rural Leadership<br />
Foundation (ARLF) TRAILblazer program, designed to<br />
build the skills of existing industry leaders.<br />
Russell Grimwade Prize<br />
The prize is awarded to encourage forest science in<br />
<strong>Australia</strong> <strong>and</strong> the successful applicant is to use the prize<br />
to meet the costs or part of the costs of undertaking<br />
post graduate forestry study at any tertiary educational<br />
institution in <strong>Australia</strong> or elsewhere.<br />
The 20<strong>10</strong> Russell Grimwade Prize was launched at<br />
the Institute of <strong>Forest</strong>ers of <strong>Australia</strong> conference in<br />
September, an event FWPA sponsored with an exhibit.<br />
Denis Cullity Research Fellowship<br />
The Denis Cullity Research Fellowship is awarded on<br />
an annual basis to allow an <strong>Australia</strong>n forest or forest<br />
products scientist to undertake or participate in research<br />
<strong>and</strong> development, in a country outside <strong>Australia</strong>, which<br />
has the potential to benefi t the <strong>Australia</strong>n forest <strong>and</strong> wood<br />
products industry.<br />
The 20<strong>10</strong> Denis Cullity Fellowship was advertised in May<br />
for six weeks.<br />
Adoption <strong>and</strong> Promotion<br />
Investment in R&D can only benefi t the industry if<br />
the results are communicated to relevant audiences.<br />
Effectively disseminated, knowledge can lead to<br />
the adoption of best practices, the creation of<br />
new technologies <strong>and</strong> more rapid achievement of<br />
industry goals.<br />
To ensure that research outcomes are actively promoted,<br />
FWPA’s research proposal assessment process includes<br />
consideration of technology transfer <strong>and</strong> the engagement<br />
of the supplier in the process.<br />
Channels through which FWPA promotes completed<br />
projects include the internet (www.fwpa.com.au,<br />
www.timber.org.au), newsletters (Leading Edge), industry<br />
press, media releases <strong>and</strong> executive summaries.