Flood Management Capacity Building Training Program

Melbourne Water engaged Rain Consulting to develop and deliver its 2023, 2024 and 2025 Flood Management Capacity Building Programs for council officers and industry practitioners.

The programs were designed to strengthen understanding of flood risk management, flood modelling, planning policy, climate change and the practical use of flood information. They respond to the need for practitioners across different disciplines and organisations to work from a stronger shared understanding of contemporary flood-management practice.

Rain worked with Melbourne Water to develop programs that connect technical knowledge with the real decisions made by engineers, planners, project managers and other professionals responsible for managing flood risk.

Above & Beyond Strategies

Rain approached the programs as more than a series of technical presentations.

The training was designed around the practical challenges experienced by councils and flood-management practitioners. Complex modelling concepts, Australian Rainfall and Runoff guidance and planning requirements were translated into clear and accessible learning that participants could apply within their own work.

Interactive discussion and knowledge sharing were central to the program. This enabled participants to learn from one another, compare organisational approaches and build stronger professional connections across Melbourne Water, local government and the wider industry.

The course material was also refined in response to participant feedback and emerging priorities, helping ensure the program remained relevant and useful.

Rain:

• Developed training material covering flood risk, modelling, mapping, planning policy and climate change.
• Used practical Victorian examples to demonstrate how flood-management principles are applied.
• Helped participants understand and interpret flood studies, maps and model outputs.
• Explored how technical information can inform planning, development assessment and infrastructure decisions.
• Facilitated interactive workshops and collaborative problem-solving activities.
• Encouraged discussion between Melbourne Water, council officers and industry practitioners.
• Provided practical guidance for communicating flood risk to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Adapted course material to the needs and experience levels of participants.
• Used feedback to continually improve the content and delivery of the program.

The program helped participants develop:

• Greater confidence in interpreting flood information;
• A stronger understanding of contemporary flood-management practice;
• Improved awareness of climate change and planning considerations;
• Practical skills for applying technical information to real decisions;
• Greater consistency in approaches to flood-risk assessment; and
• Stronger professional connections across councils, Melbourne Water and the wider industry.

The program also gave participants a forum to discuss common challenges and share practical approaches being used across different organisations.

The great legacy is that these programs have contributed to a more informed, confident and connected flood-management sector.

By strengthening both technical understanding and cross-organisational relationships, Rain helped build capability that extends beyond the individual training sessions. Participants are better equipped to ask informed questions, interpret consultant outputs and integrate flood risk into planning and infrastructure decisions.

This supports more consistent and resilient flood-management outcomes for communities across Victoria.

Resources: Flood Management Strategy Capacity Building | Let’s Talk | Melbourne Water