RPL for Certificate II in Aircraft Surface Finishing

Certificate II in Aircraft Surface Finishing takes 13 units. Through Recognition of Prior Learning, each unit is assessed on evidence of work you have already done rather than on training you sit through.

What the assessment looks at

Every unit sets out what you must be able to do and what you must know. An assessor works through them one at a time, asking the same question each time: does this person's evidence show they can do this reliably, in a real workplace, recently enough to count?

You can read the full requirements for MEA20622 on the national training register. They are public, and worth a look before you spend anything — if the units describe work you have never done, RPL is not your route.

Evidence worth gathering before you start

• Photos of completed jobs, ideally showing a few stages of the same job, with their original dates intact.
• Job sheets, dockets, work orders or site diaries covering a spread of jobs.
• Supervisors, employers or clients who will confirm specifically what you did.
• Any licences or tickets you already hold.

How the guided process works

You work through the 13 units one at a time, talking about jobs you have actually done. You can speak rather than type. Add photos as you find them, and stop whenever you like — progress saves itself, and most people spread this over weeks while they dig out records. At the end you have an evidence portfolio your RTO's assessor can work through.

What this does not do

It does not assess you, and it cannot promise you MEA20622. An assessor at a registered training organisation makes that decision and may require further evidence or training. What a complete portfolio buys you is a fair assessment rather than a rejection over paperwork.

See what MEA20622 involves →

The 13 units you complete, chosen from these 14

You do not do all 14. Certificate II in Aircraft Surface Finishing is 11 core units, which everyone does, plus 2 chosen from the 3 electives below. Read both lists before you spend anything — it is the fastest way to tell whether RPL is your route. If most of this describes work you have done, you have a case to make. If whole sections describe work you have never touched, an assessor will say so, and doing the course is the honest answer.

Worth knowing: 8 of them have a prerequisite unit, so the order you gather evidence in matters.

Core units — everyone does these

• MEA107 — Interpret and use aviation maintenance industry manuals and specifications
• MEA117 — Apply self in the aviation maintenance environment
• MEA154 — Apply work health and safety practices in aviation maintenance
• MEA155 — Plan and organise aviation maintenance work activities
• MEA156 — Apply quality standards during aviation maintenance activities
• MEA157 — Complete aviation maintenance industry documentation
• MEA158 — Perform basic hand skills, standard trade practices and fundamentals in aviation maintenance
• MEASTR0006 — Remove surface coatings from aircraft or aircraft components
• MEASTR0007 — Pre-treat aluminium alloy surfaces
• MEASTR0008 — Seal aircraft and aircraft component structural seams
• MSMENV272 — Participate in environmentally sustainable work practices

Electives — you choose from these

• MEAMEC0027 — Maintain aircraft non-primary structural removable components or parts and internal fittings
• MEASTR0003 — Modify and repair aircraft non-primary structural sheet metal components
• MEASTR0004 — Modify and repair aircraft non-primary structural non-metallic components

Each unit breaks down further into elements and performance criteria — the specific things you have to be able to show. The guide works through them one unit at a time and asks about jobs you have actually done, rather than making you read the register yourself.

When you are ready, see what MEA20622 costs and what the guide asks you for, or read what counts as evidence and how RPL compares with doing the course.