Following a successful pilot program with industry-leading companies, FWPA has launched WoodSolutions Campus, a free online training program to increase the product knowledge of people in the wood and wood products supply chain.
Lack of knowledge about the nature and performance of wood and wood products can not only restrict sales opportunities – especially in the light of recent changes to the National Construction Code (NCC) – but can also lead to customer dissatisfaction if an inappropriate product is recommended or supplied.
To address this situation, FWPA in collaboration with the University of Tasmania’s Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood, has developed WoodSolutions Campus.
WoodSolutions Campus is the first online educational platform that provides the fundamental knowledge needed by people who work in Australia’s timber and wood products supply chain, to choose or specify the most appropriate timber for each application.
The self-paced, online courses cover topics including standards and building regulations and the properties of timber and wood products, including durability ratings and moisture content.
WoodSolutions Campus will enable merchants to be well-informed about the wood products they should recommend to make the most of the opportunities created by the code changes.
The Campus courses are vendor-neutral and focus on key concepts and best practices to provide a detailed understanding of the following topics:
- Course 1 – Introduction to Building Regulations and Standards
- Course 2 – Design for Durability
- Course 3 – Design for Bushfire
- Course 4 – Managing Timber’s Moisture Content
- Course 5 – Timber and Wood Properties
Each course comprises 4 to 6 modules, each module can typically be completed in 3 to 5 minutes. The online platform makes learning convenient and accessible, the self-paced learning experience is accompanied by an assessment program that measures progress through the course. Starter Certificates, Intermediate Certificates and Advanced Certificates are awarded to reflect levels of achievement. Additional resources are also available for further learning.
FWPA are now working on a new course to educate specifiers about the building code change and make the most of the new opportunities for wood in medium rise multi-residential developments.
WoodSolutions Campus is available on-demand at https://www.woodsolutions.com.au/campus
