RPL for Certificate III in Construction Crane Operations

Certificate III in Construction Crane Operations takes 23 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 CPC32920 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 23 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 CPC32920. 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 CPC32920 involves →

The 23 units you complete, chosen from these 31

You do not do all 31. Certificate III in Construction Crane Operations is 16 core units, which everyone does, plus 7 chosen from the 15 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: 6 of them have a prerequisite unit, so the order you gather evidence in matters.

Core units — everyone does these

• BSBOPS304 — Deliver and monitor a service to customers
• CPCCCM2004 — Handle construction materials
• CPCCCM2012 — Work safely at heights
• CPCCCM3001 — Operate elevated work platforms up to 11 metres
• CPCCCM3003 — Work safely around electrical sources, services and assets
• CPCCLDG3001 — Licence to perform dogging
• CPCCOM1012 — Work effectively and sustainably in the construction industry
• CPCCOM1013 — Plan and organise work
• CPCCOM1014 — Conduct workplace communication
• CPCCOM1015 — Carry out measurements and calculations
• CPCCOM2001 — Read and interpret plans and specifications
• CPCCWHS2001 — Apply WHS requirements, policies and procedures in the construction industry
• TLIB3015 — Undertake site inspection
• TLIF2006 — Apply accident-emergency procedures
• TLIF2010 — Apply fatigue management strategies
• TLILIC0008 — Licence to operate a non-slewing mobile crane (greater than 3 tonnes capacity)

Electives — you choose from these

• CPCCDO3012 — Perform crane scheduling
• CPCCLHS3001 — Licence to operate a personnel and materials hoist
• CPCCLRG3001 — Licence to perform rigging basic level
• CPCCLRG3002 — Licence to perform rigging intermediate level
• CPCCLTC4001 — Licence to operate a tower crane
• CPCCLTC4002 — Licence to operate a self-erecting tower crane
• HLTAID011 — Provide First Aid
• TLIB3011 — Set up and rig crane for lift
• TLIB3013 — Maintain mobile cranes
• TLIF3084 — Follow mobile crane safety procedures
• TLILIC0003 — Licence to operate a forklift truck
• TLILIC0005 — Licence to operate a boom-type elevating work platform (boom length 11 metres or more)
• TLILIC0022 — Licence to operate a slewing mobile crane (up to 20 tonnes)
• TLILIC0023 — Licence to operate a slewing mobile crane (up to 60 tonnes)
• TLILIC2016 — Licence to drive a heavy rigid vehicle

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.

Related qualifications

Same training package, and a common second choice for people who find this one is not quite their trade:

• Certificate III in Carpentry (CPC30220, 34 units)
• Certificate III in Concreting (CPC30320, 22 units)
• Certificate III in Demolition (CPC30426, 20 units)
• Certificate III in Painting and Decorating (CPC30620, 29 units)
• Certificate III in Shopfitting (CPC30120, 18 units)
• Certificate III in Signs and Graphics (CPC30216, 16 units)

More RPL in construction, plumbing and services

Every qualification in this industry, which of them have a guide ready, and what assessors here accept as evidence: RPL in construction, plumbing and services.

When you are ready, see what CPC32920 costs and what the guide asks you for, or read what counts as evidence and how RPL compares with doing the course.