RPL for Certificate III in Drilling Operations

Certificate III in Drilling Operations 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 RII31820 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 RII31820. 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 RII31820 involves →

The 13 units you complete, chosen from these 55

You do not do all 55. Certificate III in Drilling Operations is 8 core units, which everyone does, plus 5 chosen from the 47 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.

Core units — everyone does these

• BSBWHS301 — Maintain workplace safety
• MSMENV172 — Identify and minimise environmental hazards
• RIIBEF301D — Run on-site operations
• RIICOM301E — Communicate information
• RIIERR302E — Respond to local emergencies and incidents
• RIINHB301E — Set up and prepare for drilling operations
• RIIRIS301E — Apply risk management processes
• RIISAM209E — Carry out operational maintenance

Electives — you choose from these

• HLTAID011 — Provide First Aid
• HLTAID014 — Provide Advanced First Aid
• RIIBHD301E — Conduct surface blast hole drilling operations
• RIIBLA201E — Support shotfiring operations
• RIIBLA202F — Support underground shotfiring operations
• RIIBLA205E — Store, handle and transport explosives
• RIIBLA301E — Conduct surface shotfiring operations
• RIIBLA303E — Conduct underground development shotfiring
• RIIBLA304E — Conduct underground production shotfiring
• RIICCM302 — Track directional boring operations
• RIICTT303E — Control micro tunnelling and pipe-jacking operations
• RIIERR301E — Respond to work site incidents
• RIIHAN309F — Conduct telescopic materials handler operations
• RIIMPO304E — Conduct wheel loader operations
• RIINHB302D — Conduct reaming
• RIINHB303D — Install product pipe
• RIINHB304E — Conduct reverse circulation drilling operations
• RIINHB305E — Conduct continuous flight auger drilling
• RIINHB306E — Conduct large diameter auger drilling
• RIINHB307D — Conduct conventional core drilling
• RIINHB308D — Conduct wireline core drilling
• RIINHB309E — Conduct guided boring
• RIINHB310D — Conduct surface directional drilling
• RIINHB311E — Conduct mud rotary drilling operations
• RIINHB312D — Conduct raise boring
• RIINHB315D — Conduct top-hole hammer drilling
• RIINHB316D — Conduct underground in-seam directional drilling
• RIINHB317D — Install underground in-seam directional drilling standpipes
• RIINHB318D — Install and operate water and gas control equipment
• RIINHB320D — Construct monitoring bores
• RIINHB322E — Construct multiple aquifer production bores
• RIINHB323D — Conduct horizontal directional drilling
• RIINHB324E — Conduct grouting or cementing operations
• RIINHB325E — Construct single aquifer bores
• RIINHB326 — Conduct coil tube drilling
• RIINHB327 — Conduct cyber chair drilling operations
• RIINHB328 — Conduct rotary air drilling
• RIINHB329 — Conduct sonic drilling operations
• RIINHB330 — Conduct down-hole hammer drilling
• RIIOGD304D — Apply effective coal seam gas control practices
• RIIOGD305E — Apply blow out prevention operational procedures
• RIIOGD405E — Carry out well control and blow out prevention operations
• RIISTD202E — Collect routine site samples
• RIIVEH305F — Operate and maintain a four wheel drive vehicle
• RIIWHS202E — Enter and work in confined spaces
• RIIWHS204E — Work safely at heights
• TAEDEL311 — Provide work skill instruction

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 Civil Foundations (RII31220, 26 units)
• Certificate III in Trenchless Technology (RII31619, 26 units)
• Certificate III in Well Servicing Operations (RII32226, 14 units)
• Certificate IV in Surface Coal Mining (Open Cut Examiner) (RII40226, 14 units)
• Certificate IV in Surface Extraction Operations (RII40120, 13 units)
• Certificate IV in Underground Metalliferous Mining Operations (RII40320, 16 units)

More RPL in resources and infrastructure

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

When you are ready, see what RII31820 costs and what the guide asks you for, or read what counts as evidence and how RPL compares with doing the course.