TAFE (NSW) Study and Courses

Certificate IV in Plumbing and Services - Hydraulic Services Design pathway - CPC40920

TAFE (NSW) has been running the Certificate IV in Plumbing and Services - Hydraulic Services Design pathway course from Term 1, 2023.

Click here to view Certificate IV course duration and fee structure information on the Australian Government MySkills website.

Click here to see some details of the Certificiate IV course on the Australian Government Smart and Skilled site. Click on the "Estimate Your Fee" button to see if you are eligible for funding support.

Click here to view the qualification details for the Certificate IV on the Australian Government Training website.

Diploma of Hydraulic Services Design - CPC50620

TAFE (NSW) has been running the Diploma of Hydraulic Services Design course from Term 1, 2022.

Click here to view Diploma course duration and fee structure information on the Australian Government MySkills website.

Click here to see some details of the Diploma course on the Australian Government Smart and Skilled site. Click on the "Estimate Your Fee" button to see if you are eligible for funding support.

Click here to view the qualification details for the Diploma on the Australian Government Training website.

Additional Information

Contact Rodney Ware or Stephen Reardon (via the HCAA) directly for specific information relating to course overview, availability, locations and detail on how to add yourself to the Waiting List for enrolment.

Education Update - 29th March 2023

Hydraulic Certificate IV - Hydraulic Services Design pathway

TAFE (NSW) managed to find teaching resources in an extremely difficult market and has commended delivery of this course in Term 1 of 2023.

The students have been progessing well and TAFE (NSW) continues the delivery through the “blended delivery” model (some students face-to-face in the classroom and some online via MS Teams) as they have used for the Diploma course. This enable the education of students throughout the country, not only in St. Leonards where the course is taught face-to-face.

The critical shortage of teaching staff continues. While it is great to see the Cert IV design pathway up and running, TAFE (NSW) would be able to progress through the Waiting List quicker if more teaching staff were available. The current Cert IV group includes a single teacher and 15 students. This cohort is due to copmplete the course in June 2024 when they will be able to transition to the Diploma.

Teaching Staff

I have addressed industry many times in the last few years seeking support from more Hydraulic Consultants to consider a role in teaching the Certificate IV or the Diploma. At this stage, we have had some interest, but not sufficient to meet the demand. Therefore, I again ask that all qualified Hydraulic Consultants consider this as a potential part-time component of their career. Without teaching staff, these courses will continue to struggle to be delivered by TAFE (NSW). I do not think I need to advise anyone that there continues to be a substantial shortage of qualified staff in the hydraulic services industry. This will likely not find a prosperous balance without more of our young students obtaining their qualification.

In order to be employed by TAFE (NSW) to teach the Certificate IV or Diploma, you must have completed the Course/Unit that you will be teaching and you must also hold a current version of the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE – course code 40116 or 40122). The TAE can be completed at a variety of Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) in a variety of delivery models to suit your needs.

Recognised Prior Learning (RPL)

As previously outlined in these updates, TAFE (NSW) recognises that there will be a substantial number of students that wish to complete the Certificate IV and Diploma qualification via RPL. At this stage, the RPL tool to assess an individual’s qualifications against the course competency requirements has not been completed. The RPL tool is on a list of items to be completed by TAFE (NSW), but again requires suitable staff availability and funding within TAFE (NSW) to complete this work. Industry will be advised as soon as this is available, but at this stage, there is no definitive timeline for completion.

Certificate IV and Diploma Waiting List

For any new students who are not yet on the waiting list, please email Rodney Ware or Stephen Reardon at education@hcaa.org.au and we will advise you of the process to add your name to the waiting list. I note that the current waiting list is in excess of 170 potential students from around the country. I cannot provide any indication of how long it will take to clear this list, but assure all that TAFE (NSW) and the HCAA are trying to provide as many resources as possible to get to that goal.

For the students that are currently on the waiting list, I ask that you be patient. We will aim to provide updates every 3-6 months of progress. If you have concerns that you are not on the list or receinving updatyes, please contact education@hcaa.org.au. We understand that TAFE intends on contacting all potential students that are on the Waiting List of Term 2 2023 to see if the individual is still interested in completing the course. We expect that some may have moved on to other parts of the industry, but hope that TAFE(NSW) end up with a more concise Waiting List to work with. Further to that, TAFE (NSW) will contact you when there is a position available for you to study. Unfortunately, we can not give you a definitive date of when this will be available at this stage.

I note that the TAFE (NSW) Plumbing department will be securing a new administration assistant in the next few weeks. One of the tasks for that person will be to ring all potential students on the Waiting List to confirm their current status. We understand that some circumstatances or contact details may have changed and that some may have chosen another industry given the delay in being able to obatin a Hydraulic Diploma qualification. The aim is to rationalise the list to ensure it is accurate.

I am sorry that I do not have better news for the industry, but it is becoming clearer that staff shortages are having a very real impact on this country, regardless of industry. It does not seem to matter what industry you look at (health care, airport, hospitality, teaching, engineering, etc), there are shortages across the board.

If anyone has particular issues, can you please call Rodney Ware on 0418 645 932 or email Rod on education@hcaa.org.au.

Education Update - 27th February 2022

Completion of the Certificate IV

It is noted that the 4 Units that are required to be completed by those Operations Stream students were previously displayed incorrectly on this website. We confirm that the 4 Units that are typically to be completed by students that hold their Plumbing License, but have not completed the Cert IV (Operations Stream) are outlined below:

• CPCPCM4015 - Access and interpret regulatory requirements for the plumbing and services industry.

• CPCPCM4013 - Produce 2-D architectural drawings using CAD software.

• CPCCBC4024 - Resolve Business Disputes

• CPCCBC4019 - Apply sustainable building design principles to water management systems

These 4 Units need to be completed prior to enrolling into the Diploma. This can be clarified with TAFE (NSW) when enrolling.

Diploma Details

If you wish to review any Unit of study in the Diploma of Hydraulic Services Design, you can find it here on the www.training.gov.au website:

Diploma of Hydraulic Services Design

This site lists every Unit in the Diploma and if you click on the Unit, you can access the "Elements and Performance Criteria" and "Assessment Requirements" in Word or PDF format. It is noted that you do not have to complete every Unit listed on this Course page. You will need to complete all of the Core Units and a number of Electives as required.

If anyone has particular questions about fast-track completion, please call Rodney Ware on 0418 645 932 or email Rod on education@hcaa.org.au.

NZ Students

We can now confirm that New Zealand citizens are able to enrol in the Certificate IV in Plumbing and Services and the Diploma of Hydraulic Services design at TAFE (NSW). Some details on eleigibility can be found here:

https://www.tafensw.edu.au/enrol/fees

Previous Key Education Update Information

Course Delivery

Both of the courses mentioned above will continue to be delivered by “Blended Delivery”. This means there will be face-to-face classes held in North Sydney and all regional/interstate students will study using Microsoft Teams.

Cadetship Program

We note that this has been delayed due to the delivery of the courses. Our three Cadets will commence as soon as they are enrolled. Once these Cadets are under way, a new Cadetship program will be launched.

The HCAA Cadetship program has officially been launched. We have selected the 3 x Cadets for 2020. Their names are:

· Jacob Begg

· Peta Collis

· Ty Huggins

We would like to congratulate the Cadets on their success in being selected.

We would also like to extend a massive thank you to Rheem and Viega for their contributions to the program.

Specialist TAFE (NSW) Presenters

TAFE (NSW) have outlined that once the Diploma is running, they encourage specialist manufacturers, authorities and suppliers to come and talk to classes about their field of expertise. This can be beneficial to help supplement the Teachers knowledge with expert advice and provide feedback from industry. The attendance for Specialist Presenters will need to be arranged with TAFE (NSW) and the Teacher so that topics can be discussed to match what the students are learning in the class. The visit would typically include a presentation to the class followed by some Q&A sessions to help the students understand the product/system. This should take around 60 minutes of the lesson, but can be negotiated with the Teacher.

We have already had confirmation of interest from:

Studor
SWC Trade Waste officers
Fire and Rescue NSW
Enware
Aquacell
H2X
Viega

Companies that have already delivered informativ elessons to our Diploma students include:

Studor
HI Fraser
Halgan

I am keeping a register of interested parties that will be provided to TAFE (NSW). If you are an Affiliate and are interested in presenting to a class in the future, please let me know and I will add you to the list.

Please note that this is not to be about Brands. The presentation should be purely technical in its content and focus on design principles.

Further Interest

If you are interested in being involved in any of the areas outlined above and have not yet talked to me, please contact me to discuss.

Regards,

Rod Ware

Education Manager

Additional Education Resources

Continuing Education

There are many industry-related courses that can help you become a hydraulic engineer, or further develop your consulting skills. By continuing your education you will be adding to your skills set, thereby increasing your value as a consultant and your ability to increase your income.

Many of the educational programs you undertake will be eligible to have CPD points awarded upon successful completion. Please check with our CPD Officer prior to undertaking any continual education program.

Below are links to some relevant educational programs. The list is by no means exhaustive, and we welcome any suggestions for listing additional programs:

TAFE (NSW) Study and Courses