Queensland Airports Limited (QAL) will form an industry partnership with Wagga Wagga Airport and Northern Territory Airports to use the funding and support provided by the national training system's eLearning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework's (Framework) Industry Integration of elearning. It is also hoped to secure the involvement of the Australian Airports Association, which would further help to support airports Australia wide.

The partnership will embed eLearning as part of a multiple year, industry sector-wide strategy to develop a skilled and professional workforce that will meet the current and future needs of the industry.

A specific focus for the aviation industry is the development of innovative learning tools that will overcome the practical issues that time (particularly when shift work is involved), distance and the dispersed, operational nature of the industry present.

The industry sector will develop and implement flexible learning tools that will

• offer a solution to training scheduling for operationally driven organisations and shift workers, providing employees with the opportunity to learn where and when it is convenient for them;
• help address urgent training issues surrounding compliance with a multitude of legislative and statutory requirements;
• improve economies of scale to make the development of high-quality learning resources more cost effective and readily available to multiple users; and
• develop partnerships that facilitate collaboration and sharing of knowledge and experience with regard to the development of innovative solutions for common learning issues.

Dennis Chant, Managing Director of Queensland Airports Limited, suggests development of an alternate method of learning for staff within the aviation sector is aimed at offering greater opportunity for skill enhancement as a result of enhanced flexibility. In particular smaller regional and remote operators who may not have access to the resources required to develop these tools will benefit from this initiative.

The 2009 Industry eLearning Showcase and Exhibition will showcase how aviation and nine other industry sectors are choosing to tackle their challenges through eLearning, recognising that staff benefit from consistent, quality training which can be accessed at any time or place.

Each industry sector is unique in scope and operation, and the showcase will highlight how their eLearning strategies are providing models in which diverse companies and industry organisations can cooperate on training and workforce development.

Showcase details:

Date: Tuesday 24 November 2009

Timing: Full-day event

Venue: Sofitel Melbourne on Collins, Melbourne

Cost: $165.00 (AUD) per person (including GST)

It is possible to register online until Monday, 16 November 2009.