Chisholm Institute – The people who skill people
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Media Release
Date: 26 November 2009
For immediate release
Chisholm staff member picked for international scholarship;
travel to Europe, Israel
Chisholm Cranbourne staff member Michael Anderson has been honoured with a scholarship that
will see him travel around the world next year, and it’s partly thanks to some slime-eating bugs.
Anderson, 53, who is Water Industry Initiative Project Manager at Chisholm Cranbourne, received
the award from the International Specialist Skills Institute (ISSI) to study ‘Environmental Water
Management and Water Distribution Systems’ in The Netherlands, Spain and Israel.
“Very surprised!” is how Anderson described his reaction to the news that he’d been awarded the
Scholarship.
“It’s pretty competitive,” Anderson said, “The ISSI has people putting in proposals from all over the
TAFE system, so I didn’t really expect to be successful.”
The Scholarship, which was presented at a ceremony at the RACV club in the city last week, gives
Anderson the opportunity to visit multi-national water companies in three countries in order to
research the training strategies they are using to mitigate skills shortages in the water industry.
“The Netherlands, Spain and Israel are recognised world leaders in water technology and training,”
Anderson says, “But the skills deficiencies they’re suffering from are identical to those we are
currently experiencing in Australia.”
With climate change rarely out of the news and record temperatures being set on a regular basis,
the need for competent, accredited professionals able to lead the development of new conservation
strategies and technologies has never been more acute.
Putting the educational resources in place to engender this new wave of talent is part of Anderson’s
remit. Having been part of the project team that launched the Chisholm Centre for Sustainable
Water Management – a dedicated water training facility based at Chisholm Cranbourne that is the
only resource of its type in Victoria – he is now focused on putting in place teaching staff able to skill
up the next generation of water and conservation heroes.
“We’ve got the buildings and the equipment but we need resources and trainers,” Anderson said,
“So this information will feed directly into the second stage of our Water Centre.”
The second stage of the Chisholm Centre for Sustainable Water Management development will see
the development of a $10m multi-purpose facility that will set a new standard for water industry
training services in Australia. Due to launch in 2011, it will include a water treatment plant, research
and development area, water quality testing and recycling programs and controlled environment
horticulture facility.
Chisholm Institute – The people who skill people
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Which brings us to those bugs.
Among the projects in Anderson’s proposal was one for sludgeless water treatment using
‘microbiological technology’. What does this forbidding term actually mean?
“Simply put, we get the bugs to eat it!”
Anderson will begin his scholarship in April 2010.
The International Specialist Skills Institute (ISS) is an independent organisation that provides
opportunities for Australian industry and commerce, learning institutions and public authorities to
gain skills and experience in traditional and leading edge technology, design, innovation and
management.
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For further media information contact :
Nat Tunbridge
Client Co ordinator
Marketing and Corporate Communication
Chisholm Institute
Ph: 9238 8307
NEWS 
