Category: CPP Property Services

In the past, many cleaners learnt their skills through informal on-the-job training. Increasingly, however, the industry is taking advantage of the benefits of nationally recognised training. Enrolments in Certificate II, III and IV cleaning qualifications have increased by more than a third since 2015, a trend that is expected to continue. Nationally recognised qualifications support career development, attract government funding, and assure clients and employers that workers meet national standards for safety and efficiency. In coming years, the cleaning industry will be making greater use of digital technology and robotics. Cleaners will need knowledge of green technologies, materials and practices, of the impact of mould and other biotoxins, of infection control, and of disaster cleaning. The Property Services IRC is exploring whether cleaning qualifications still meet industry needs. To find out more, see our project page.

The Property Services IRC is pleased to announce that its review of waste management qualifications has been completed, with the updated training package now available on the national register. The review involved consultation with a range of stakeholders, including employers, industry associations, training organisations, regulators and local councils. Thank you to everyone who gave their  time and effort to provide advice on current and anticipated industry training  needs. The renewed Certificate III in Waste Management  has two occupational streams—waste collection and waste processing—with a wide range of electives available to allow training to be tailored to specific enterprise or subsector needs. The Certificate IV in Waste Management  prepares learners for administration and supervisory roles in a variety of contexts, including waste collection, landfill operations,  logistics planning, waste minimisation, and customer service and sales. Units within the qualification were updated to ensure they encompass food and garden organics, leachate and landfill gas, energy production from waste, and waste management for multi-use developments. Two redundant qualification were deleted, the Certificate II and the Diploma of Waste Management. The Certificate II has had very low enrolments, and its vocational outcomes can be achieved through the completion of a skill set in the Certificate III. The Diploma—which focuses on management skills—has had no enrolments in recent years. Other VET qualifications such as the Diploma of Leadership and Management are available to fill this vocational need.

Building surveyors play a key role in ensuring the safety, energy-efficiency and accessibility of the built environment. Recent building failures and tragedies in Australia and overseas have highlighted the importance of the profession and of the need for rigorous and comprehensive training. Consequently, the Construction, Plumbing and Services IRC has appointed a technical advisory group (TAG) to review vocational education and training for building surveyors. The group has met on six occasions over the last few months, and its members have worked closely with their industry networks. They’ve made a number of recommendations.

• deletion of the graduate diploma
• limitations on building sizes for the advanced diploma—up to two storeys and 500 m²
• adding four units to the advanced diploma from the Certificate IV in Building and Construction
• inclusion of units on performance solutions, ethics, bushfire attack levels, thermal performance and energy efficiency

For more details and an opportunity to provide feedback, please see our project page.

The bushfire crisis has had, and continues to have, a devastating impact on life and property across Australia. When the current emergency is over, Australians will be rebuilding,  with decisions to be made on where and how this is done. Previous catastrophic bushfires have prompted state and territory governments to strengthen bushfire building standards. With more than a million homes in Australia within 100 metres of bushland, it’s important that a skilled workforce is available to ensure these standards are met. The Property Services IRC is seeking advice on the development of training for land-use and construction assessors in bushfire-prone areas—training for practitioners who can advise on planning and design in order to mitigate risk. To have your say, register your interest, or just find out more, please visit our project page.