Australian Wool Education Trust

The Australian Wool Education Trust supports significant wool education initiatives in Australia, particularly in wool and wool textile science and technology.

The Trust funds the development of a wide range of resource material for students and educators and supports 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.

The Australian Wool Testing Authority (AWTA) established the AWTA Ltd Wool Education Trust with an initial grant of three million dollars in 1996. In 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 Trust generates up to half a million dollars each year to support education in the wool industry.

In June 2019 the Trustees unanimously supported a variation to the Trust Deed to reduce the number of Trustees. As of 1st July 2019 there are 5 Trustees, two appointed by AWTA Ltd, 2 by AWI and one by FAWO.

These trustee’s make decisions based on:

Supporting the education of students, woolgrowers and others contributing to the development of the wool industry, from the growing to the textile product stage, including:
1. Fibre science, including fibre and follicle development, fibre morphology and characteristics, and their effects on processing performance and product properties.
2. Wool production, including selection, preparation for sale and packaging.
3. Wool metrology, including testing technology, process control, Total Quality Management techniques and the prediction of processing performance.
4. Wool and textile marketing, including trading, processing and promotion of products made wholly or partially from wool.
Funding scholarships, prizes and attendance at educational conferences.
Funding educational resources, conferences, programs, and institutions and colleges.
Funding scientific research that benefits education.

Initiatives supported by the Trust include:

The multi-media package for delivery of the Woolwise educational resource.
Postgraduate scholarships to investigate the risk factors for low staple strength in young sheep, and the metrology of wool fibre curvature.
A tertiary level, specialist sheep and wool course and the production of electronic lectures for the Sheep CRC's Education Program, that led to the establishment of a Wool Chair at the University of New England in Armidale, NSW.