INDUSTRY NEWS
NEW QUALIFICATION – INFRASTRUCTURE ASSET MANAGEMENT
Craig Moss Director, Professional Services
At the October 2021 meeting of the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC), new training products for the Civil Infrastructure Asset Management disciplines were approved including a new Certificate IV, 12 new units of competencies and nine new skills sets. This offers a unique opportunity to upskill asset management paraprofessionals in a structured way. Towards the end of 2019, the Civil Infrastructure Industry Reference Committee (IRC) identified a skills need for civil infrastructure asset management workers. The IRC recognised that this specialist area is a complex discipline that involves collecting, structuring, analysing data, and making decisions on managing a range of assets, including roads, bridges, and underground services. Civil infrastructure asset management has changed as a result of the following industry drivers, heightening the urgency for up-to-date skills in the sector: • New and emerging technologies allow asset managers to capture richer civil infrastructure asset data at a greater frequency and lower cost.
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• Increasing financial pressures for asset owners to keep costs low and have proactive asset management strategies in place. This involves conducting regular inspections to identify potential issues and faults earlier resulting in less costly repairs and maintenance. • An increasing pipeline of infrastructure work as existing civil infrastructure assets reach the end of their life and new investments emerge. PricewaterhouseCoopers – Skills for Australia (PwC SfA) led the consultation process and developed draft training products for public review, refinement and validation. To assist with the content creation, IPWEA Practice Notes for condition assessment and asset performance were made available to the project team providing a framework reflecting current industry best practices and a consistent methodology across asset types. PwC SfA also attended the IPWEAQ Asset Management Symposium (AMS) to liaise with professionals working at the coalface of infrastructure asset management. This affirmed support for the project and the need for the upskilling of staff who conduct condition assessments on infrastructure assets and those tasked with managing the asset data. Discussions with PwC SfA also provided direction on the qualifications and skills set structure. The project team were considering two qualifications (Certificate IV and Diploma) or two skills sets (Data Collection and Data Management) however following consultation with AMS delegates, one qualification at
ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | DEC 2021
Certificate IV level was supported by nine asset-specific skills sets. Additionally, new asset management specific units were added to the Diploma of Civil Construction Management to provide a qualification pathway. In total, the consultation process included 16 Government/ regulatory representatives, ten industry representatives, eight Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), and seven peak bodies. IPWEAQ was also represented on the IRC, providing direction to this project. The new training products developed are: • Certificate IV in Civil Infrastructure Asset Management • Units of competency • Conduct a condition assessment of road pavements • Conduct a condition assessment of roadside infrastructure • Conduct a condition assessment of stormwater drainage • Conduct a condition assessment of civil structures • Conduct a condition assessment of civil foundations • Conduct a condition assessment of water and sewerage mains • Conduct a condition assessment of underground services • Conduct a condition assessment of open spaces • Manage civil infrastructure datasets Continued page 25
