RTO recognised verification of competency

Course Overview

The Vocational Education and Training (VET) system of qualifications & national units of competency as well Safework High Risk Work Licences ensure that operators and workers are trained to the standard required for each Nationally accredited unit of Competency. However, the VET system is only able to guarantee that an operator or worker is competent at the time they were assessed. Over time their competency may decline. Reassessment may also be an insurance requirement to ensure current records of competency are maintained.

A Verification of Competency (VOC) is an independent assessment to verify competence and current compliance that assists the Person Conducting the Business or Undertaking (PCBU) to meet Work Health and Safety (WHS) requirements and ensure operators and workers are still competent to operate equipment or perform a task. It is commonly used in many industries for pre-employment checks, contractual arrangements or site requirements. If a company you work for, or a work-site you are visiting, requests a current VOC for a specific piece of plant or to undertake a particular task, you will need to comply with the request in order to undertake the work.

VOC’s are undertaken on persons who already hold a current ticket, licence, or unit of competency, to verify that they are still competent to that standard. Persons undertaking a VOC must provide evidence of their existing competency. The outcome of the VOC process is a Statement which references the activities or tasks verified, and/or the plant and equipment verified. It does not satisfy the requirements for the issuance of a nationally accredited unit of competency.

Working with industry leading clients, Pipeline Training Australia has developed a formal process that allows for flexibility to meet client needs whilst maintaining a high standard of assessment. Assessors are industry experts holding all relevant qualifications combined with years of experience.
 

VOC Process

To undertake a VOC participants must provide their relevant licence or Statement of Attainment prior to VOCs being conducted.

If students cannot provide their relevant licence or Statement of Attainment Pipeline Training cannot undertake a VOC Assessment, however we can offer Full training and assessment.

The VOC training course process encompasses a short written (or oral) assessment of the critical knowledge components of the activity AND direct observation of practical applications of the activities.

Any person deemed not yet competent will be offered the opportunity to undertake refresher training, and undertake another VOC assessment (which may attract an additional cost).
 

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the minimum Competency Requirements for Mobile Plant Operators?
 

Required/acceptable evidence:

• RII Statement of Attainment for mobile plant VOC is being completed on. 

Why do I need a VOC?

If a company you work for, or a work-site you are visiting, requests a current VOC for a specific piece of plant or to undertake a particular task, you will need to comply with the request in order to undertake the work.
 

Do Pipeline Training VOC’s expire?

The industry standard for verification of competency re-assessment is typically biennial (every two years). As an RTO Third Party Provider we do not govern or regulate your individual or organisational policies or procedures and the requirement for Verification of competency Assessment is set out by the employer, principal contractor, authority or PCBU. For this reason, we currently don’t have expiry dates on the VOC’s that we issue however the date of issue will be printed on the certificate or wallet card. Pipeline training Australia provides VOC Assessment as a service because there is a demand for it within many industries and we take pride in ensuring we maintain a high standard of assessment.
 

I have an expired VOC, however I don’t have a licence or evidence of doing a statement of Attainment previously. Can I still update my expired VOC?

Generally, not. Most often evidence will need to be provided of a Nationally recognised Statement of Attainment, Superseded Workcover licence or Current SafeWork High Risk Work Licence. Solely having a VOC wallet card or certificate is not sufficient evidence as it is essentially a Non-accredited Statement of Attendance and there is no way of verifying the benchmark of the VOC assessment. Due to the lack of regulation is this area Pipeline Training Australia generally do not accept this as sufficient evidence unless it comes along with a structured template / questionnaire / checklist that is either aligned to the Nationally Recognised Training Package, or similar structured questionnaire tailored to the safe operation of the item of mobile plant, e.g. hazards / risks and controls, operator manual requirements, emergency situations and response, etc.
 

I hold an old version of the unit of competency (UoC). Is it still valid?

This will depend on whether the unit you have is equivalent to the current unit of competency. Speak to one of our trainer/assessors and they will look up the differences in the UoC. They will advise you of any additional/gap training required before VOC assessment can be conducted. Alternatively, you can check this out by going to www.training.gov.au
 

I am an experienced operator but I don’t have any certificates or licences. Can I just do the VOC?

You will need to either have the Full training and assessment or you may do an experienced operator course provided you have the relevant experience. The experienced operator course is Assessment Only with some gap training if necessary.