Infrastructure short course
This course offers discounted rates for early bird enrolments who enrol on or before 31st August 2026. See the fees section below for more information.
Overview
The infrastructure short course highlights the management skills required to deliver complex infrastructure projects in an increasingly challenging environment.
Run over three days, it aims to provide participants with an opportunity to learn the key tasks involved in selecting and prioritising projects; from developing a business case up to investment decision, as well as managing infrastructure projects post-financial close and delivering an operating project.
This course covers a broad range of topics and challenges that are faced every day by infrastructure projects across the private and public sector, giving participants a vaulable range of perspectives from both worlds.
What you'll learn
In this course, participants will:
- Be able to understand importance of infrastructure development and key challenges impacting success
- Understand the complexity and approaches in delivering transport projects facing cost and risk uncertainty
- Highlight the challenges of using private finance and develop strategies to mitigate those risks
- Develop and assess the adequacy of project governance structures
- Understand how collaborative contracting can align outcomes and alternative approaches
- Identify key pitfalls in structuring and negotiating contracts, and the complexities of managing political relationships and advisers
Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies
ITLS is a renowned international centre for the latest thinking on the crucially linked areas of transport, infrastructure, logistics and supply chain management.
Established in 1991, the Institute's goal is to contribute to the design, management and optimisation of infrastructure, transport, logistics and supply chain initiatives around the globe.
Program Overview
Delivered by the University of Sydney through the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, together with guest contributors who have extensive experience in managing and delivering infrastructure projects in many sectors in Australia and other countries, the program will discuss and explore the issues and potential solutions of the below topics:
- Renewable energy projects dominate the infrastructure pipeline. How can the delivery of battery energy storage projects address the challenge of the Duck Curve and rebalance excess midday solar power to the evening peak?
- What went wrong with Inland Rail with the project downsized and ending at Parkes instead of connecting to Queensland? What have we learnt from the Schott review highlighting governance failings amid huge cost blowouts? What improvements in governance and decision making can be identified so the same mistakes aren’t repeated on High-Speed Rail?
- High Speed Rail business case demonstrates the significance of land use and wider benefits compared to transport benefits. So what are the strategies to capture this value and offset the huge funding burden on the Federal Government?
- Is the Brisbane Olympics another example of a megaproject doomed to fail or can alternative delivery strategies ensure the facilities are completed on time without cost blowouts and still create lasting legacy benefits for the community?
- With the Australian and State Governments coming under increasing fiscal pressure, the pressure is on to make better utilisation of private financing; it’s time to debunk some of the PPP myths in the face of populist and uninformed opinion.
- With the easing of the pipeline, now is the time to develop long term strategic infrastructure plans and rigorous business cases and upskill the public/private sector procurement teams to ensure we are shovel ready for the next wave.
Content
Topics will include:
- Delivering High Speed Rail and Value Capture; Pipedream or Reality?
- Brisbane Olympics: another megaproject doomed to fail?
- Shifting from Adversarial to Collaborative Contracting; Sydney Water Partnering for Success
- Using the Regulated Concession Model to deliver energy transition
- Debunking PPP myths and how private finance can deliver value
- Industrial Equity versus Financial Sponsors
- Embracing whole-of-life and benefits realization
- Data Centers an emerging asset class
This course will appeal to junior and middle management involved in all aspects of infrastructure planning, financing, design, approval and implementation where critical thinking is needed.
This short course is delivered face-to-face over 3 days.
Early bird enrolments (enrol on or before 31st August 2026):
- New enrolments: $2050 per enrolment
Standard enrolments (enrol after 1st September 2026):
- New enrolments: $2250 per enrolment
While there are no formal prerequisites to enrol in this course, participants are expected to have some familiarity with the infrastructure sector, but no previous knowledge of infrastructure financing is required.
Materials
All course materials are provided electronically through our Learning Management System (LMS) called Canvas 2. After enrolment, you will receive an email with instructions on how to access the LMS. If you have been enrolled in Canvas 2 before, log in using the email address you enrolled with.
Software
We recommend using a desktop computer or laptop. Ensure compatibility by accessing Canvas on the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari.
Viewing on a mobile device? If you're using the Canvas app, please download the latest version and adjust your app settings to access all images and videos on the site.
All courses must be paid in advance of commencing your course. We accept the following payment methods:
- Mastercard
- Visa
- American Express (only available for enrolments made through the Sydney Short Courses website)
- Electronic Funds Transfer (for company invoices only)
- Journal Transfer (for University of Sydney Staff only)
Please see our Payment Options for further information.
I have enrolled in a Sydney Short Courses course, what happens now?
Once your enrolment has been processed, you will receive the following emails:
- Enrolment confirmation: you will receive this immediately after your enrolment has been processed.
- Tax invoice: the payer of your enrolment will receive this immediately after your enrolment has been processed.
For some courses, you may also recieve the following:
- Course reminders: you will receive emails from Sydney Short Courses in the lead up to the course starting. These include information about the course and, if required, the schedule for online or face-to-face sessions.
- Course materials: if you are enrolled in a course that provides reading or other downloadable materials, you will get access to these materials prior to the class commencing.