VERIFICATION OF COMPETENCY (VOC) Frequently Asked Questins fr Individuals What is Verificatin f Cmpetency (VOC)? Current industry regulatins require emplyers and persns cnducting a business undertaking (PCBU) t ensure their wrkers can clearly demnstrate their ability t perfrm the tasks related t their jb rle when plant is used. A Verificatin f Cmpetency (VOC) is a methd f assessment that can be used t demnstrate the ability t perate equipment and/r undertake the respnsibilities f these rles. It is cmmnly used by emplyers during their preemplyment checks, site requirements and cntract negtiatins. In fact, a VOC is ften required by emplyers befre individuals are even allwed n site. Why d I need a Verificatin f Cmpetency (VOC)? Emplyers take their respnsibilities very seriusly, and ften require wrkers t demnstrate cmpetency in the tasks they are t perfrm befre they are allwed t cmmence wrk n site. This als applies t cntractrs and their emplyees perating plant and cnducting high risk wrk. Obtaining a VOC will allw yu as an emplyee r cntractr t demnstrate yur abilities t perfrm the tasks and duties allcated t yu in a certain jb rle, as well as yur knwledge f current industry regulatins and plicies. By prviding this certificatin t a prspective emplyer, yu will be clearly demnstrating yur skill level and giving yurself the best chance f scring the jb r cntract. I already have my licence d I still need a VOC? Hlding a licence r a Qualificatin Card des nt necessarily infer cmpetency, but is a pre-requisite t be eligible t undertake the assessment fr a VOC. Persns wh have recently received a licence, r received their licence/ticket many years ag, may nt be able t immediately verify their cmpetency against the industry standard withut sme frm f basic refresher training and assessment. An example f this shrtfall may be demnstrating a sund knwledge f the current regulatins, plicies and prcedures relating t the wrk they are required t d. As part f yur VOC Pack, yu will be supplied with training resurces t bring yur knwledge up t date. The VOC Learners Guide is accessible nline at any time during yur 28 day VOC assessment, s yu can cmplete yur training at yur wn pace, at a time cnvenient t yu. A range f free refresher curses are als available nline which can be viewed in ur curse library.
What abut licences fr earthmving equipment, small cranes and ther types f plant? Sme states and territries previusly issued a licence fr sme r all f this equipment, hwever Regulatrs stpped issuing these licences in 2012. The nly licences nw issued by Regulatrs are fr High Risk Wrk. As part f their Duty f Care requirements, emplyers and PCBU s are required t ensure cmpetency f the peratr when plant is used, s far as is reasnably practicable. Hlding a previusly accredited Licence fr this plant displays that yu have undertaken training and been assessed t the Natinal Occupatinal Health and Safety Cmmissin (NOHSC) standard. Even thugh this may have been the applicable standard at the time f issue fr yur licence, this standard has been superseded by the Industry Standards. Fr this reasn, yur riginal licence r ticket may nt be enugh t demnstrate cmpetency t the current industry standard. This is the standard that is required by many emplyers arund the cuntry acrss a number f industries, including mining, cnstructin and transprt. A majr part f this skills gap usually includes a lack f knwledge abut the current Wrkplace Health and Safety (WHS) regulatins and hw these are relevant t the wrk yu d. This can be readily remedied as part f the Yur Licence VOC prcess. Hw ften d I need t verify cmpetency? It is recmmended that yu undertake a VOC certificatin every 30 mnths, r 2.5 years, t ensure yu are kept up t date with new industry regulatins, wrkplace safety standards and any new technlgy r plicies related t yur industry and jb rle. Hw lng d I have t cmplete my VOC assessment? Yur Licence allws 28 days frm enrlment t cmplete the prcess. This is in accrdance with the timeframes allwed by sme Regulatrs fr cmpletin f Cnstructin Inductin training and ldgement f an applicatin t btain a White Card r Licence. Can I wrk n site prir t cmpleting my VOC? Yes. It is entirely reasnable and legally cmpliant t allw an peratr t carry ut their nrmal duties whilst undertaking VOC if the risk is assessed and an apprpriate level f supervisin is exercised. This is a standard industry practice during training and instructin, and is practiced acrss the cuntry every day. Enrlment with an accredited Registered Training Organisatin t cmplete yur VOC is frmal evidence f the prvisin f infrmatin, instructin and training as required by regulatins. Regulatrs allw inexperienced persns t cnduct high risk wrk under training n a wrk site as lng as the risk f peratin is assessed and the peratr is supervised at the apprpriate level. Fr example, wrkers wh are experienced, ticketed, and undertaking VOC wuld bviusly be at much lwer risk than a trainee rigger r excavatr peratr. Whether yu will be able t wrk in this manner will be dependent upn the plicies and prcedures n the site. Please check with the nsite Training Manager r yur Supervisr t find ut the prcess n yur site.
What are the varying levels f supervisin? Hw are they wrked ut? There are three levels f supervisin nrmally applied t high-risk wrk activity, whether n cnstructin, mining r ther sites. These are determined by the respnsible persns nsite and must be based n risk that has been prperly assessed. These levels f supervisin are: Direct supervisin All peratins take place in sight and earsht f a cmpetent, qualified supervisr. Usually applied t an peratr wh is assessed t have a minimum level f frmer experience r expsure t the plant r specific tasks. Particularly imprtant fr thse wh demnstrate a lwer level f ability and need intensive instructin. Peridic supervisin Operatins which require the supervisr t make regular checks n safety and prgress. Supervisr is required t ensure the risks cntinue t be within pre-determined parameters. Nrmally applied where the peratr is experienced with the plant r specific tasks and demnstrates at least a gd level f aptitude. Requires that gd cmmunicatin systems are in place and that there is gd accessibility t ther licensed r qualified peratrs that the peratr can seek advice frm as needed. Minimal supervisin A lwer level f supervisin, requiring the supervisr t attend intermittently, t ensure that additinal, greater r different risks have nt surfaced due t envirnmental factrs r unfreseen issues. Requires the wrkplace t have gd cmmunicatin systems, gd access t; licensed and qualified persns, a high level f instructin and training, and/r stable risk cntrl measures in place t prtect the peratr. Strng administrative cntrls wuld als be relevant in this case, such as exclusin znes fr wrkers frm mbile plant peratins. The level f supervisin and instructin must be suitable and adequate at all times. The respnsible persn must assess the required level f supervisin that is needed accrding t the nature f the wrk being perfrmed and the risks present.
Wh can cnduct VOC assessments? VOC assessments shuld nly be undertaken by trained, prfessinal assessrs, with an understanding f the requirements f the industry cmpetency standards in the natinal training packages. wrks in cnjunctin with Registered Training Organisatin partner, AITAC Pty Ltd. and ur partnership brings tgether tw teams f prfessinal, qualified assessrs wh can undertake VOC. We are currently the nly rganisatin in Australia wh is able t deliver VOC assessments nline, saving yu time, hassle and mney. We als ffer a range f free refresher curses that can be cmpleted nline, as well as a cmprehensive nline Learners Guide which is prvided as part f yur VOC Pack. These nline resurces mean yu can train fr yur assessments whenever and wherever yu like! What des RPL mean and why is it relevant t me? RPL (Recgnitin f Prir Learning) is a mandatry part f the duties f every RTO invlved in the VET system. The current skills and knwledge f a persn are required t be taken int accunt when determining cmpetency against the natinal Cmpetency standards. Hw r where the skills were gained is nt as imprtant as the fact that they exist. Crrespndingly, nly an RTO can frmally apply RPL findings against the natinal Industry Cmpetency Standards. An RTO has n chice but t take the current skills and experience f an peratr int accunt when cnducting training and arranging assessment r VOC. Ignring the current skills f an peratr (taking everyne back t a cmmn base pint) is wasteful, cstly, inefficient and insulting. Requiring highly skilled individuals t unnecessarily display the basic elements related t their duties des nt extend thse persns in any way. There is n "gain" frm the pprtunity, which is unfrtunate and nt very clever. Is the new licensing standard the same as the latest industry standard? N. The Industry Standards detail what an peratr is expected t be able t cmpetently perfrm n the jb. The Licensing standards are the entry pint t industry, and the minimum requirement t be met fr the Regulatrs t issue a Licence.
Hw is VOC cnducted? What d I have t d? There are tw ways t cnduct VOC the traditinal way, and the Yur Licence way! 1. Traditinally, VOC is cnducted nsite n a face-t-face basis. An assessr cnducts thery and practical assessments and makes a decisin regarding cmpetency based slely n that meeting. This prcess required that the peratr turns up at a predetermined place and time and undertake a thery and a practical assessment. If yu are successful, yu can g t wrk. If nt, yu will be required t undertake gap training and be reassessed. A majr issue with this prcess is that yu are given little pprtunity t study r undertake gap training until after the assessment is cmpleted which means that if yu dn t pass yur assessment the first time arund, yu may be delayed in yur return t wrk. This prcess is als ttally dependent n the availability f an assessr ften invlving high cst and lng delays if the wrksite is in a remte lcatin. 2. The unique VOC prcess develped by Yur Licence invlves a blended apprach t the training prcess. This includes prviding yu with access t nline training material as part f yur VOC Pack s that yu can update yur knwledge befre yu undertake yur assessments. The gap training (t the latest industry standard) is prvided via nline presentatins in the frm f a Learners Guide. Learning is entirely self-paced and can be cmpleted and then assessed very quickly (withut the need fr an assessr t be n site). Practical skills assessment may then be cnducted via a range f ptins nsite, prir t entry, at ur training site in Tullamarine VIC r anther site cnvenient t yu, etc. In sme cases an assessr may nt be required t visit the site at all. When undertaking yur VOC, we recmmend that as a first step, yu access the nline training material and refresh yur knwledge f the subject. When yu feel cnfident, infrmed and are ready, yu can undertake the thery assessment nline. At the same time yu can be preparing fr yur practical self-assessment and reference declaratin (Recgnitin f yur Prir Learning) infrmatin, gaining testimnials and references. Prvided that yur evidence is sufficient, factual, and can be substantiated, yu may nt have t undertake any further assessment (this may vary with sme emplyers). The benefit f this methd is that yu are assessed when yu are ready fr it. It is nt site- r time-specific r dependent upn the availability f an assessr, and yu can d it immediately if yu wish.
Hw can yu deliver VOC s nline? After years f face-t-face training, we have develped a mre streamlined and efficient prcess f delivering VOC training assessments. Using the latest technlgy, ur Online Learning System allws yu t access training materials 24/7 wherever yu can access the internet - making ur nline training delivery the mst cnvenient and accessible way t d yur training. As the nly nline business in Australia currently able t d this, we are prud t be pineering the way in the industry. All f ur natinally accredited training materials are mapped t the industry standard relevant units f cmpetence and are backed and audited by ur RTO training partner, AITAC (Reg. N. 3591). Is an n-site VOC assessment mre accurate than ne cnducted anther way? N. Bth methds have different merits. On site assessments are basically a snap sht f yur perfrmance n that day at that time. Yur perfrmance may be cnsiderably different n anther day in a different scenari. Yu culd perfrm better r wrse than nrmal under mre stressful, exam-like cnditins. The Yur Licence VOC prcess allws yu t apprach the assessments entirely differently. The RPL practical references and testimnials yu gather will be related t yur perfrmance in the field ver a cnsiderable perid f time. This is ften a mre accurate check f yur lng-term perfrmance ability. Hw d yu ensure that the right persn is actually cmpleting the assessment? We take the issue f fraud very seriusly and have implemented stringent measures t ensure the accuracy f ur assessments. We are happy t discuss and demnstrate these internatinally accepted measures in detail t alleviate any cncerns. There are several checks carried ut t ensure the validity f tickets and testimnials. These cannt be utlined here fr bvius reasns, but we wuld be happy t discuss them with yu ver the phne n. What actin is taken if an peratr supplies unauthrised tickets, r arranges false references? Fraud is a criminal ffence and any attempts t btain a fraudulent qualificatin r ticket incur stiff legal penalties. Any applicant engaging in unlawful behavir f this type will immediately be deregistered frm ur prcess, frfeiting any fees paid, and their emplyer and/r Regulatr will be infrmed f this actin.