DODGY TRAINING PROVIDERS

UNETHICAL PRACTICES BY SOME TRAINING SERVICE PROVIDERS BASED OUTSIDE NSW

There are a number of training service providers based outside NSW who have been delivering plant and equipment training in the south west region of NSW, but have not been conducting licence assessments on behalf of WorkCover NSW. These providers convinced clients that any qualification issued would be valid in NSW. At best all that was issued was a Statement of Attainment and a company produced 'card'.

A Statement of Attainment for a Unit of Competency to operate plant or equipment is not a licence. To operate specified plant and equipment in NSW and indeed most other States or Territories, operators must hold a current Licence issued by WorkCover NSW or the equivalent State or Territory regulatory body.

 UNETHICAL CONDUCT

Riverina Plant Operators School has been approached by a number of employers and individuals from the south west district of NSW, seeking advice and assistance after discovering that after paying for plant & equipment training, participants had not been assessed for a WorkCover NSW Licence.

It would appear that these training providers (some of them Registered Training Organisations) failed to fully disclose to NSW (and Vic/NSW border area) clients that the “qualification” attained from the course was not actually a licence, or assertions were made to the affect that the qualification would be accepted by WorkCover NSW; worded in such a way as to convey to the client that the qualification would constitute a licence.

The following are examples of the unethical practices of some of these training service providers:

 CASE STUDY 1

A regional Council paid a Victorian based training service provider to deliver training to 20 staff in the belief that on completion of the courses they would be able to legally operate plant and equipment in NSW – in other words “licenced”. It was later discovered by the Council not to be the case and apart from the impact on operations, the Council is now forced to expend additional ratepayers’ monies to have their staff properly assessed and legally licenced. 

CASE STUDY 2

An individual in Mildura seeking plant and equipment licences to enable him to operate in NSW, completed $1400 worth of training with a Victorian based training provider. He was told that the qualification they issued (a company produced card) was valid for use in NSW as the provider “had an arrangement with WorkCover NSW”. He later discovered the “card” the provider issued was not a licence and did not allow him to legally operate plant and equipment in NSW. He was forced to expend additional monies to complete the required licence assessments under NSW regulations.  The Victorian training provider in this case has been reported to WorkCover NSW, who also advised that no such “arrangement” exists.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

When sourcing training service providers for high risk work licences in NSW, check the following:

• Is the course recognsied under the national training system?
   
• If it is high risk training, is the training service provider a Registered Training Organisation (or in a formal partnership arrangement with a Registered Training Organisation)?
   
• Is the Registered Training Organisation (RTO) approved by WorkCover NSW to deliver training and assessments on high risk equipment of the type you require?
   
• Does the course include a licence assessment conducted by the RTO’s WorkCover NSW accredited assessor?
   
• Is the WorkCover assessor's accreditation current and is the assessor approved by WorkCover to conduct high risk equipment assessments on behalf of the RTO?
   
• Will the training service provider give you written verification that the course includes a licence assessment by a WorkCover NSW accredited assessor who will issue a WorkCover NSW Notice of Satisfactory Assessment (NSA)? This is required to enable a participant to apply to WorkCover NSW for the licence to be issued.

If a training service provider is unwilling to provide sufficient verification, it may suggest they either do not include WorkCover NSW assessments, or are not approved to conduct WorkCover NSW assessments. If the providers credentials and/or course outcomes can not be verified , eg. WorkCover NSW licence assessments, do not use them.

The WorkCover NSW website www.workcover.nsw.gov.au lists approved Registered Training Organisations who have WorkCover NSW accredited assessors to conduct high risk equipment licence asessments.  The site also list of assessors accredited to conduct loadshifting licence assessments. If you can not find the information you neeed ring WorkCover NSW on 13 10 50.

If your organisation has been “caught” by one of these dodgy training service providers, please report the details to WorkCover NSW on 13 10 50.

 WHEN IS A LICENCE NOT A LICENCE?

A person is only “licenced” to operate specified plant and equipment in NSW, when they hold a ‘National Certificate of Competency – Licence’ photo card issued by WorkCover NSW or another Australian State or Territory OHS regulatory body.

SIMPLE RULE - If a 'card' was not issued by a State or Territory OHS regulatory authority, it is not a licence and the holder can not use it to operate specified plant and equipment in NSW.