Dodgy training providers
- Have you been ripped off?
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 Certificate of Attendance and a company produced 'card'.
A Certificate of Attendance and/or training company issued card 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 OHS regulator).
UNETHICAL CONDUCT
Riverina Plant Operators School has been approached by a number of employers and individuals, seeking advice and assistance on discovering that after paying for training with some training providers, the participant was not licensed to operate in NSW.
It would appear that these training providers (some of them Registered Training Organisations (RTO's)) are failing to fully disclose to NSW (and Vic/NSW border area) clients that the “qualification” attained from the course is 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 that their staff were not licensed. Apart from the impact on operations, the Council was 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 work 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 they “had an arrangement with WorkCover NSW” (WorkCover NSW advised that no such “arrangement” exists)
He later discovered the “card” the provider issued was not a licence and did allow him to legally operate the specified 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 was reported to WorkCover NSW.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
When sourcing training service providers for high risk work or loadshifting licences in NSW, check the following:
- Is the course recognsed under the national training system?
- If it is high risk training, is the training service provider an RTO (or in a formal partnership arrangement with an RTO)?
- Is the RTO approved by WorkCover NSW to deliver training and assessments on high risk equipment?
- 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 company provide verification that the course includes a licence assessment by a WorkCover NSW accredited assessor.
GET THE RIGHT ADVICE
Go to the WorkCover NSW website www.workcover.nsw.gov.au which lists approved RTO's who have WorkCover NSW accredited assessors to conduct high risk equipment licence asessments. The site also provides a list of assessors accredited by WorkCover NSW 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.