VU and City West Water partner on education initiatives at all levels of study, from TAFE diplomas, through to bachelor degrees, masters and PhD projects.
Student placements & projects
City West Water offers VU engineering students the opportunity to get hands-on in the water industry through work-integrated learning. The partnership also supports our Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering) and Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) students’ final year projects.
City West Water and VU students have collaborated on projects such as:
- a masters research project into the combined use of recycled water and storm water via a third pipe system
- a PhD project on potential storm water harvesting sites in urban areas.
Cadetships
From 2009 to 2016, VU and City West Water collaborated to offer a four-year cadetship program. The program was based on on-the-job competency training, with graduates being offered three qualifications and a full-time role with City West Water upon successful completion.
Qualifications included:
- Certificate III in Business, delivered internally at City West Water
- Diploma of Engineering Technology delivered through Victoria University Polytechnic, by VU and City West Water staff
- Advanced Diploma of Engineering Technology, which focuses on the core operations of the Australian water industry, delivered by subject matter experts at City West Water sites.
This program was the first accredited technical officer training to exist in the water industry since 1991. In 2009, the program was awarded the Minister’s Award for Excellence for its innovative offering.