ANNUAL REPORT 09/10 - Forest and Wood Products Australia

38 | OPERATIONS
STRATEGY THREE:
CAPABILITY ADOPTION AND PROMOTION
During the year the activities under this strategy
were broadened, in line with the 5-year Strategic
Plan and Ministerial priorities, to include a greater
focus on educational initiatives. This is in addition
to the aims of facilitating industry improvement
and adoption of best practice, disseminating R&D
results and helping industry to access knowledge
and technology developed elsewhere.
Capability
Two of the Ministerial priorities relate directly to the
investment in capability:
Workforce, skills and education – educating
future scientists, improving the knowledge and skills
of producers and encouraging people to work in
the sector.
Diversity – build strong leadership capacity in the
sector and encourage a diversity of people in primary
industries, including a greater role for Indigenous
Australians, women and young people.
Education initiatives
A signifi cant event during the year was the completion
and publication of a report, Review of Australian Forestry
and Wood Products Education and Training Needs, by
Rob de Fegely. The report was based on more than
80 interviews with industry executives and reviews of
activities in other countries and other industries.
The report contains a series of recommendations to
overcome existing gaps and identifi ed needs, including
establishing the following:
An up-to-date Australian forest industry website.
A limited primary and secondary schools program.
A tertiary program incorporating vocational study,
university level training and mid-career programs.
The report can be downloaded from the corporate
publications section of www.fwpa.com.au.
Based on the de Fegely report, consultation with the
industry and educational institutions and the 5 year
Strategic Plan, FWPA has produced an education
investment plan. The plan integrates and advances
existing activities and new initiatives to provide the
industry with a comprehensive program to meet current
and future needs.
FWPA ANNUAL REPORT 09/10
Scholarships and awards
Scholarships and awards programs, aimed at the industry
and the research community, are designed to increase
the industry’s capability to create and apply knowledge.
These programs encompass people beginning their
careers and those in mid-career, to maximise the
opportunities for industry participants to increase their
knowledge and develop their skills.
A new initiative during the year was the sponsorship of
an industry participant in the Australian Rural Leadership
Foundation (ARLF) TRAILblazer program, designed to
build the skills of existing industry leaders.
Russell Grimwade Prize
The prize is awarded to encourage forest science in
Australia and the successful applicant is to use the prize
to meet the costs or part of the costs of undertaking
post graduate forestry study at any tertiary educational
institution in Australia or elsewhere.
The 2010 Russell Grimwade Prize was launched at
the Institute of Foresters of Australia conference in
September, an event FWPA sponsored with an exhibit.
Denis Cullity Research Fellowship
The Denis Cullity Research Fellowship is awarded on
an annual basis to allow an Australian forest or forest
products scientist to undertake or participate in research
and development, in a country outside Australia, which
has the potential to benefi t the Australian forest and wood
products industry.
The 2010 Denis Cullity Fellowship was advertised in May
for six weeks.
Adoption and Promotion
Investment in R&D can only benefi t the industry if
the results are communicated to relevant audiences.
Effectively disseminated, knowledge can lead to
the adoption of best practices, the creation of
new technologies and more rapid achievement of
industry goals.
To ensure that research outcomes are actively promoted,
FWPA’s research proposal assessment process includes
consideration of technology transfer and the engagement
of the supplier in the process.
Channels through which FWPA promotes completed
projects include the internet (www.fwpa.com.au,
www.timber.org.au), newsletters (Leading Edge), industry
press, media releases and executive summaries.