Welcome to The West Australian Technical Support in Schools Association Inc (WATSSA)

How did WATSSA come about?

After many years of working in schools for the Department of Education (DoE), our foundation President noticed that many technical staff felt isolated in their roles and would appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with their peers. To address this, he sent out an expression of interest message to all technical staff listed in the DoE address book, resulting in an overwhelming response. Around fourteen technicians attended the “ICT by the Sea” event, which was primarily aimed at private schools in WA. During the event, the group sat down and discussed DoE school issues related to the standard operating environment. From that day, a small committee was established with the objective of establishing an Association by the end of 2018, leading us to where WATSSA is today.

WATSSA was created for the following reasons

• To enhance the professional expertise and status of School Based Network Administrators and Technical Support Officers, and the quality of network administration and management in WA Schools.
• To create a fellowship of those engaged as technicians to foster advancement in management, thought and practice.
• To set before itself and the community the ethics of high professional responsibility and to provide a catalyst for workplace flexibility and reform.
• To organise and conduct regular meetings, conferences, forums and seminars for the advancement and professional development of School Based Technical Support Staff.
• To promote collaborative relationships with DoE and other professional associations.