Educational Advisory Committee (EAC)
The Research Director is advised by an EAC on aspects related to the Research Career Development component of the Centre. The EAC consists of a number of national and international educational specialists. 

Draft Terms of Reference - ACCESS Education & Training Committee (AETC)
The general role of the AETC is to co-ordinate and oversee the education and training activities that fall under the aegis of the ACCESS consortium. The purpose of the committee is to co-ordinate activities and programmes among the components of the ACCESS consortium in order to pool resources, co-ordinate recruitment, create critical mass of students (a cohort or class of earth science post-graduates) and to facilitate interaction with schools and external institutions for outreach, awareness and information dissemination.

For academic purposes, the committee will deal with post-graduate studies in earth systems science for both research qualifications, and course work / dissertation qualifications at the various institutions that participate. For outreach and extension proposes the committee will co-ordinate and respond to calls and opportunities as well as develop a programme of activities of its own, which incorporates and represents the components of the consortium.

The committee will:

a) Mandate the proposed annual programme of education and training activities and associated budget
b) Oversee the work and review the semi-annual report of the Education and Outreach officer.

For academic education and training the committee (or a sub-committee) will: 

c) Design, implement and oversee the process of establishing an inter-disciplinary, multi-institutional post-graduate taught coursework masters degree in earth systems science by March 2009,
d) Facilitate the collation of information and co-ordination of the cohort of MSc and PhD research students engaged in research in the ACCESS consortium and to provide a forum for exchange and interaction among them, 
e) In co-operation with the ACCESS Research and Operational Processes Committees, co-ordinate the recruitment of MSc, PhD and Post Doctoral candidates and provide a forum for exchange and interaction among them,
f) Provide the mandate for appropriate representations from the committee to the participating academic institutions or search agencies  (universities etc) and authorities (government departments and research agencies) in order to facilitate accreditation of ACCESS activities on a multi-institutional basis,
g) Mandate ACCESS representatives or office bearers to execute tasks emanating from the above in order to represent ACCESS in meetings, conferences and negotiations, 
h) Promote ACCESS education and training activities in the committee members' respective networks.

For outreach, awareness and information dissemination the committee (or a sub-committee) will:

i) Oversee the work of the Education and Outreach officer who will promote ACCESS' and the component members' outputs
j) Provide the mandate for a programme of activities for engaging with schools and other education programmes in the broader community by various means (e.g. guest lectures, demonstrations, field trips, exchange programmes, workshops and summer school events etc).
k) Assist and disseminate information on the ACCESS consortium's professional short courses and other similar programmes.

Composition:

The committee will comprise the ACCESS Manager, Education and Outreach Officer and one representative from each of the official members of the ACCESS consortium. The committee will elect a chair from one of the official members of the ACCESS consortium who will serve for 3 consecutive meetings where after a new chair will be elected on a rotational basis (every three months). Sub-committees and/or task teams may be formed as required. Ad hoc (non-voting) members of the committee may be admitted by the chair of the committee and new (voting) members can be admitted with the consent of the ACCESS Steering Committee.

Administration:

The AETC will meet once a month at a venue agreed upon at the previous meeting. The meetings will be co-ordinated by the ACCESS Education and Outreach Officer and a record of all deliberations and decisions will be kept. Minutes of the preceding meeting will be reviewed at each committee meeting and posted thereafter on the ACCESS website.