Christopher J. Ainsworth

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Fulbright Professional Scholarship in Vocational Education and Training (VET) sponsored by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations

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“My Fulbright Scholarship will be a unique opportunity to forge strong Australian/U.S. alliances, which can prepare Emergency Management operatives to work in a global environment.”

Chris Ainsworth, Executive Officer of the Risk and Emergency Management Education Centre (raemec) and a Project Consultant to Swinburne University, has won the 2008 Fulbright Professional Scholarship in Vocational Education and Training (VET) sponsored by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. This Scholarship was established in 1995 to support the exchange of research and ideas in VET between Australia and the United States.

Through his Fulbright, Chris Ainsworth will undertake research with the City of Austin’s Office of Emergency Management and the City of Dallas’ Office of Emergency Management, on a project to increase professional respect between full time and volunteer emergency management staff through equitable access to training. He plans to undertake his six months research from June 2008.

“I plan to research U.S. emergency and risk management organisations that have full time and volunteer functional roles. I will review major disasters, the aftermath and recovery, integrating lessons learned into an Advanced Diploma of Public Safety – Emergency Management, enhancing the program and incorporating ‘emerging world practice’ standards.”

Chris hopes his Fulbright will provide a foundation in the development of an Australian applied undergraduate program in Emergency Management. As well, he hopes it will establish long term linkages with Emergency Management Offices in Austin and Dallas with the view of strategy and internship exchanges. “Outcomes will contribute to the long-term sustainability of world class emergency management training in Australia,” believes Chris.

Chris is currently completing an MBA with the University of Adelaide and has completed two Advanced Diploma’s in Public Safety, Emergency Management and Community Safety with Swinburne University of Technology Melbourne and a Diploma of e-Learning at the University of Technology Sydney.

In 2001 Chris was named an Australian National Training Authority – Flexible Learning Leader and 2002 was awarded a South Australian Emergency Services Levi Grant to pilot and implement his Flexible Learning Leaders Research. His involvement with the Australian Institute of Emergency Services Board for the past several years has equipped him with not only a state-wide, but also a national perspective in his field.

Chris is also a volunteer with the South Australian Country Fire Service (SA CFS). Chris’s move to the SA CFS has influenced the introduction of the Advanced Diploma of Public Safety – Firefighting Management into the suite of leadership programs in 2008, two years ahead of its scheduled introduction.