Establishing a professional networking organisation and keeping it going : a case study

This case study reviews the development of a networking organisation in Central Queensland for Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) professionals and students of the OHS program offered by CQUniversity Australia. The networking group was organised keeping in mind that a similar local area network group for CQ had failed some years previously. The new networking group was established identifying any existing professional networks in the Central Queensland area, identifying the reasons behind the previous local area group disbanding and finally determining the benefits to students and professionals alike of organising such a group. The benefits of re-establishing the network for students and industry professionals at first seemed obvious. This networking group would mean increased contact between industry and the OHS program offered by CQ University Australia; industry professionals would gain an opportunity to collectively engage with their own professional safety organisation; tertiary students would benefit from engaging with industry professionals in their own discipline; the CQ area would benefit from the establishment of a professional networking organisation discussing issues unique to their immediate area; and the links between the tertiary sector, the peak safety organisation and industry professionals would have added benefits to future curriculum development. In the end it just made good business sense to re-establish links between the tertiary sector, the professional safety organisation, industry and tertiary students. However, garnering the initial interest of OHS students and industry professionals, and maintaining that interest, would prove difficult. This study will not only review the benefits of such a professional networking group, but also investigate possible options for developing a continued long term interest in the continued development of a professional networking group.