Innovative Pressure/Vacuum Vent Valves

Portadown, Northern Ireland delegates, May 2003

Brian Baker (APEA Trainer) Alan Reid (Carrickfergus District council) Raymond Lowry (Dungannon & South Tyrone District Council) Johnny Vance (Coleraine Borough Council) Reggie Dallas (Coleraine Borough Council) Kevin Devlin (Newry & Mourne District Council) Dawn Phillips (Ards Borough Council) Bob Wilson (Ards Borough Council) Malcolm Sloane (Armagh & District Council) Wesley McKenzie (Dungannon & South Tyrone District Council)

Seated: Michael O'Kane (Michael O'Kane Associates - Dublin) Norman McMullan (Magherafelt District Council) Gerry McGann (Magherafelt District Council) Finton Quinn (Newry & mourne District Council) Not in Shot: Jamie Thompson (APEA Trainer)

BTEC Professional Certificate Review

By Gordon Robb, Principal Trading Standards Officer, Highlands Council

Being the first candidate to complete the BTEC Professional Certificate in Petroleum Regulation, I have been asked to submit this short article giving my views on the course and experience of it so here goes.

I have been involved in Petroleum and Explosives Regulation for about 13 years and was also lead officer for my authority in relation to Health & Safety Enforcement for a year or so following the last Local Government reorganisation. Perhaps more as a result of this latter experience, I was probably more aware of the influences of the HSC Section 18 mandatory guidance on Petroleum Enforcement work than many others working in this field who come from a Trading Standards background.

Influenced by this awareness, I had been concerned for some time that in many cases Licensing Authorities, although taking the competency of their enforcement staff seriously, would have difficulty in producing evidence that they were complying fully with the current Section 18 Guidance from the HSC on the officer competency issue.

In the BTEC Professional Certificate and Diploma in Petroleum Regulation, I feel that we have found such a mechanism.

Most Local Authorities make use of the excellent short courses run by APEA and the TSI on the various aspects of Petroleum Regulation, but with the best will in the world, an officer's attendance at a course lasting a few days, even where a candidate assessment is included, is no substitute for the rigorous assessment undertaken over the length of an SVQ based qualification.

That is not to say that such courses are no longer necessary, in fact I think the contrary is true. For to succeed in the BTEC courses, in my view, it is essential that candidates have been given the opportunity to acquire the basic knowledge through attendance at training courses, like those described above, and have accumulated sufficient supervised experience in the field. The BTEC Certificate and Diploma can then provide the mechanism by which an officer's competence can be demonstrated.

In my own case, like many others who have been doing the job for a number of years, my initial tendency was to claim "grandfather rights" and send others on the course, but in order to determine the usefulness of the qualification I decided to use myself as a guinea pig.

My experience of the Certificate course was that it comprehensively covered all the essential legal, administrative and practical aspects of a Petroleum Officer's job in relation to the audit and inspection role. I understand that the yet to be finalised Diploma course will pick up on the remaining site development control aspects of the job as well as other relevant matters.

In my view the structure of the course demands that the candidate can demonstrate an understanding of what needs to be done and why, as well as how to do it. The Internet based support facility also allows candidates to be briefed on, and hence incorporate into their assessment answers, real-time changes in the law e.g. DSEAR.

I also found that the candidate support mechanisms, which are also provided electronically via e-mail, were quick and efficient.

I suppose the acid test in any such qualification is whether a manager can have confidence that those who have completed the course are competent to undertake the job.

Having now completed the course, my answer to that is yes and I have now had the Certificate formally recognised by my authority for career grade progression purposes and enrolled three of my staff in the course as a result.

I would however also warn anyone considering putting their staff on these courses. My warning arises from the question, which may be put to managers by successful candidates, i.e. "Is my Authority doing enough to comply with other aspects of its responsibilities resulting from HSC demands?"