The Australian Wool Education Trust provides funds for the advancement of education in wool and wool textile science and technology.

Overall, the Trust aims to fund projects that will have significant impact on wool education in Australia with broad outcomes for the whole of industry.

Funding guidelines

Trustees make funding decisions based on the following objectives:

1. to support the education of students, growers and others considered to be capable of contributing to the development of the wool industry, from the growing to the textile product stage, including in such subjects as:
   (a) fibre science, including fibre and follicle development, fibre morphology and characteristics, and their effects on processing performance and product properties;
   (b) wool production, including selection, preparation for sale and packaging;
   (c) wool metrology, including testing technology, process control, Total Quality Management techniques and the prediction of processing performance;
   (d) wool and textile marketing, including trading, processing and promotion of products made wholly or partially from wool;
2. to fund attendance at educational conferences and to fund scholarships and prizes;
3. to fund educational resources, educational conferences, educational programs and educational institutions and colleges; and
4. to fund scientific research undertaken for the advancement of education.

Some projects funded to date

• Initial funding enabled the CRC for Premium Quality Wool to develop a multi-media package for delivery of the Woolwise educational resource.
• Postgraduate scholarships to investigate topics such as the risk factors for low staple strength in young sheep and the metrology of wool fibre curvature.
• Significant funds to establishing a tertiary level, specialist sheep and wool course following the closure of the School of Fibre Science and Technology at the University of NSW.  This three-year commitment to fund production of electronic lectures for the Sheep CRC's Education Programme led to the establishment of a Wool Chair at the University of New England in Armidale, NSW.

Contact

To discuss your project, contact Mr Peter Sommerville, Trust Secretary C/- AWTA Ltd, 70 Robertson Street, Kensington, VIC 3031, tel (03) 9371 4105, fax (03) 9371 4191 or email woolwise@woolwise.com.

Trustees

There are eight Trustees - three appointed by AWTA Ltd, three appointed by AWI, and two by the Federation of Australian Wool Organisations (FAWO).

The current Trustees are:

• David Ward, Trust Chairman, and former Managing Director, AWTA Ltd;
• Michael Jackson, Managing Director AWTA Ltd;
• Peter Sommerville, Corporate Development Manager, AWTA Ltd;
• John Michell, Chairman, Michell Pty Ltd; 
• Rod Thirkell-Johnston, wool grower and former President of Wool Council of Australia and Australian Superfine Wool Growers Association;
• Cameron Archer, Director/Tocal Agricultural Centre;
• Dr Kevin Bell, Director, Australian Wool Innovation; and
• Andrew Vizard, Associate Professor, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Melbourne University.

History

AWTA Ltd established the AWTA Ltd Wool Education Trust in 1996 with an initial grant of three million dollars, following closure of the Department of Wool & Animal Science at the University of New South Wales, Australia's only tertiary education department dedicated to wool and textile science and technology at the time.

In June 2004, AWI invested four million dollars from the sale of the CSIRO Prospect property and the Trust was renamed the Australian Wool Education Trust.

The extra funding will enable the Trust to generate up to $0.5 million per annum (depending on returns from the investment market) for education in the wool industry.

Related links

• Woolwise website

Return to AWI scholarships and awards.