IWES

What IWES does

IWES (Institute for Water and Environmental Systems) is a professional development training division wholly owned by The University of Queensland, headquartered at UQ's St Lucia campus in Brisbane, Australia. Established in 1984, IWES operates Australia's largest continuing education program for water, wastewater, and environmental industry professionals, delivering short course training both online and through annual in-person events since 2008. Its portfolio comprises 16 specialized courses covering wastewater treatment design and operation, drinking water quality management, biosolids and anaerobic digestion, membrane plant design, recycled water, emerging contaminants (PFAS, microplastics, antimicrobial resistance), risk management, statistics, and net-zero emissions — each priced between AUD $2,400 and AUD $6,000 and awarded CPD hours of 12 to 30 depending on duration.

The core technology is facilitated, practitioner-led training rather than a software platform. Courses are taught by leading industry practitioners from Australian water utilities, engineering consultancies (e.g., Tyr Group), and UQ research centers (notably the Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology). Curriculum delivery incorporates real plant case studies, hands-on workshops, site visits, and specialized tools such as AqMB process simulation software. The Design Challenge component of the Integrated Urban Water Assessment and Management course has been recognized with the AAUT 2024 national teaching excellence award and the AFR 2023 industry award.

IWES generates revenue through two streams: one-time registration fees for individual course enrollment via its website and annual events (e.g., the IWES Gold Coast 2026 event at Novotel Surfers Paradise), and bespoke corporate training delivered to organizations with groups of 8+ participants under quote-based, multi-year contracts. Go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer registration for individual professionals with direct sales to water utilities, government bodies, and engineering consulting firms. Distribution is anchored by the iwes.com.au website, LinkedIn, email newsletters, and a recurring annual event format, with the entire geographic footprint limited to Australia.

Name

IWES

Legal name

IWES - The University of Queensland

Website

https://iwes.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IWES is a University of Queensland-owned training division that has delivered Australia's largest continuing education program for water, wastewater, and environmental professionals since 1984, offering 16 practitioner-led short courses and bespoke corporate training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Development Training for Water Industry

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPABAJAL

Water Safety Plans, Training & Documentation (Logbooks, SOPs)

Business & Public Services/Facilities Management & Building Services/Water Treatment & Building Water Hygiene (Legionella)

SECONDARYEDABALAJ

Energy (Oil, Gas & Renewables)

Education/Corporate Training & Professional Development/Industry-Specific Professional Training (e.g., Healthcare, Manufacturing, Construction)

SECONDARYEUAHAIAH

EMS Training & Competency Development

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Compliance, Monitoring & Consulting/Environmental Management Systems (EMS) & ISO 14001 Consulting

Keywords

• Water industry training
• Wastewater treatment courses
• Professional development short courses
• Environmental engineering education
• CPD training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Short Course Training: Revenue generated from professional development short courses for water, wastewater and environmental industry professionals. Courses are offered in various formats including in-person events (Gold Coast) and online training. Pricing varies by course duration and includes early bird and standard registration options.
2. Bespoke Corporate Training: Customized training programs delivered to organizations with groups of 8 or more. Contact-based pricing tailored to organizational needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IWES is a professional development training provider for water, wastewater, and environmental industry professionals, offering 16 specialized short courses (12-30 CPD hours each) delivered both online and in-person, plus annual multi-day events and bespoke corporate training for groups of 8+. Courses are taught by leading industry practitioners and cover topics including wastewater treatment, drinking water quality, membrane plant design, biosolids management, recycled water, emerging contaminants, risk management, statistics, and net-zero emissions.

Product overview

IWES (Institute of Water and Environmental Studies) is a professional development training provider owned by The University of Queensland, established over 40 years ago. It is the largest and most successful continuing education program for professionals within the water, wastewater and environmental performance industries in Australia. IWES offers a portfolio of short course training programs delivered both online and in-person (annually since 2008). The core product is a suite of 16 specialized training courses covering wastewater treatment, drinking water quality, biosolids management, membrane technology, environmental management, statistics, and risk assessment. These courses are taught by leading industry practitioners from Australian universities and water utilities. IWES also offers bespoke/customized training for organizations with 8+ participants, and runs annual in-person events such as the IWES Gold Coast 2026 conference. The training uses real case studies, hands-on workshops, and industry-standard software tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Anaerobic Digestion: Sustainable Biosolids Management A 12-hour short course covering anaerobic digestion as a leading method for biosolids conditioning, teaching participants that it is a simple, robust process easy to design, operate, and control. Targeted to water industry professionals.
• Best Practice Drinking Water Quality Management A 12-hour course providing training in best practice drinking water quality management for those responsible for drinking water quality in water utilities, private water suppliers, and health/economic regulators.
• Biosolids Treatment and Management A 12-hour course teaching fundamentals of biosolids treatment and management, including analysis and classification of biosolids, selection and design of key treatment technologies, biosolids guidelines, and troubleshooting operating problems.
• Drinking Water Treatment: Principles, Practice and Applications An 18-hour course identifying key water quality issues, describing major water treatment processes, and outlining new approaches for optimising water treatment, concluding with an interactive design workshop.
• Emerging Chemical and Microbial Concerns in Water An 18-hour course introducing high-profile emerging contaminants (PFOS, PFOA, hormones, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, antimicrobial resistance) presenting unique difficulties for drinking water and wastewater management.
• Integrated Urban Water Assessment and Management A 12-hour course addressing interlinkages between hydrology, urban planning, environmental engineering, and systems-thinking, covering climate-resilient solutions, triple-bottom line impacts, and water security. Contains the AAUT 2024 and AFR 2023 award-winning Design Challenge component.
• Membrane Plant Design and Operation A comprehensive 30-hour course on membrane plant design and operation covering Reverse Osmosis, Nanofiltration, Ultrafiltration, Microfiltration, and Membrane Bioreactors, including hands-on membrane autopsy workshops.
• Managing Municipal and Wastewater Organics Through Thermal Technologies A three-day course providing a comprehensive deep dive into thermal technologies transforming how organisations handle biosolids, food organics, green waste, and other complex organic streams, including pyrolysis and hydrothermal processes.
• Principles of Wastewater Treatment A 30-hour course (the most popular wastewater fundamentals course in Australia) covering the structure of wastewater treatment processes and key enabling scientific and process engineering fundamentals, with site visits and real case study data.
• Process Modelling for Water Treatment Professionals A 12-hour interactive course built around forecasting water quality and addressing treatment plant performance issues, teaching participants to use AqMB process simulation software for water treatment design and optimization.
• Recycled Water Management An 18-hour course providing training in best practice recycled water management, structured around the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling, targeted to those responsible for recycled water quality and environmental management.
• Regional Wastewater Treatment: Principles, Practices and Innovations An 18-hour course teaching key scientific and process engineering fundamentals for regional wastewater treatment, designed for the approximately 70% of Australian wastewater plants servicing communities of fewer than 5,000 equivalent persons.
• Risk Management for Water Professionals An 18-hour training package covering safety and design in the water and wastewater treatment sector, teaching HAZID, HAZOP, LOPA, HACCP, and bow tie analysis tools through hands-on workshop applications.
• Statistics and Data Analysis for Water and Wastewater A 12-hour course teaching fundamentals of data and statistical uncertainty analysis with applied problems, focusing on Microsoft Excel-based techniques for evidence-based interpretation in wastewater and environmental contexts.
• Towards Net Zero: Strategies to Reduce Urban Wastewater Emissions An 18-hour intensive course on understanding, quantifying, and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from urban wastewater systems, covering Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and carbon footprint evaluation.
• Wastewater Treatment Design (previously Biological Nutrient Removal) An 18-hour course teaching the enabling science of biological nutrient removal and tools and techniques required to successfully analyse, design and optimise wastewater treatment plants, structured around real-life challenges.
• IWES Gold Coast 2026 Event A five-day professional development event held 20-24 July 2026 at Novotel Surfers Paradise, featuring multiple concurrent short courses for water industry professionals with networking happy hours and an exclusive IWES networking evening included in registration.
• Bespoke Training Customised training courses tailored to meet organisations' specific needs, delivered for groups of 8 or more participants, partnering with clients to create relevant learning and upskilling opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 years of experience providing professional development training
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The University of QueenslandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIWES is owned by The University of Queensland (UQ). The organization leverages UQ's Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB) and other academic resources for course delivery, with many presenters being UQ researchers and academics.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• International Water Association (IWA): IWA is the leading international water industry association providing specialist training, conferences, and professional networks across the global water sector, offering broader-scale but less locally-tailored training than IWES's Australia-focused curriculum.
• Water Research Australia (WaterRA): WaterRA is Australia's water research and innovation powerhouse, collaborating with utilities and researchers on projects and capability programs that complement IWES's training offerings through applied research dissemination.
• Australian Water Association (AWA): AWA is Australia's largest water industry membership association offering training programs, conferences, and professional development for water sector professionals, overlapping with IWES's audience though as a broader industry body rather than a dedicated training specialist.
• Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA): WSAA is the peak industry body for Australian water utilities, providing industry training, workforce development programs, and capability building that partially overlaps with IWES's training mission but from an industry association perspective.

Others

• Engineers Australia: Engineers Australia is Australia's national engineering body providing CPD-accredited professional development courses, networking, and credentials that overlap with IWES's audience of engineering professionals in the water sector.
• IHE Delft (Institute for Water Education): IHE Delft is a UNESCO-affiliated institute delivering postgraduate water education and capacity development globally, comparable in water-focused professional training but operating at master's/PhD level rather than IWES's short-course CPD format.

Direct peers

• Water Industry Operators Association of Australia (WIOA): WIOA provides operator certification and training for the Australian water industry, directly competing with IWES for the same professional development audience of water utility operators and engineers across Australia.
• Australian Water School: Australian Water School delivers online professional development courses for water industry professionals, directly competing with IWES's online short course offerings and targeting the same vertical of water utility and engineering professionals in Australia.
• ICE WaRM (International Centre of Excellence in Water Resources Management): ICE WaRM is an Australia-based centre delivering professional development, training, and capacity building in water resources management, offering comparable short courses and accredited programs targeting water professionals across the Indo-Pacific region.

Regional players

• Water Environment Federation (WEF): WEF is the major US-based water quality organization providing technical training, professional credentials, and continuing education for water professionals, comparable in training mission but serving the North American market rather than Australia.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/iwes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IWES