RPL for Certificate III in Engineering - Technical

Certificate III in Engineering - Technical takes 10 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 MEM30522 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 10 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 MEM30522. 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 MEM30522 involves →

The 10 units you complete, chosen from these 77

You do not do all 77. Certificate III in Engineering - Technical is 3 core units, which everyone does, plus 7 chosen from the 74 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: 30 of them have a prerequisite unit, so the order you gather evidence in matters.

Core units — everyone does these

• MEM16006 — Organise and communicate information
• MEM16008 — Interact with computing technology
• MEM30012 — Apply mathematical techniques in a manufacturing engineering or related environment

Electives — you choose from these

• MEM09201 — Work effectively in an engineering drafting workplace
• MEM09202 — Produce freehand sketches
• MEM09203 — Measure and sketch site information
• MEM09204 — Produce basic engineering detail drawings
• MEM09205 — Produce electrical schematic drawings
• MEM09208 — Detail fasteners and locking devices in mechanical drawings
• MEM09209 — Detail bearings, seals and other componentry in mechanical drawings
• MEM09213 — Produce schematic drawings for hydraulic and pneumatic fluid power systems
• MEM09223 — Interpret design specifications for structural steel detailing
• MEM09224 — Detail bolts and welds for structural steelwork connections
• MEM09229 — Read and interpret technical engineering drawings
• MEM11011 — Undertake manual handling
• MEM12023 — Perform engineering measurements
• MEM12024 — Perform computations
• MEM13003 — Work safely with industrial chemicals and materials
• MEM13004 — Work safely with molten metals/glass
• MEM13015 — Work safely and effectively in manufacturing and engineering
• MEM13018 — Work safely with ionizing radiation
• MEM13019 — Undertake work health and safety activities in the workplace
• MEM15001 — Perform basic statistical quality control
• MEM16003 — Provide advanced customer service
• MEM18001 — Use hand tools
• MEM24040 — Undertake basic penetrant tests
• MEM24041 — Undertake basic magnetic particle tests
• MEM24042 — Undertake basic eddy current tests
• MEM24043 — Undertake ultrasonic thickness tests
• MEM24044 — Undertake basic radiographic tests
• MEM30005 — Calculate force systems within simple beam structures
• MEM30006 — Calculate stresses in simple structures
• MEM30007 — Select common engineering materials
• MEM30008 — Apply basic economic and ergonomic concepts to evaluate engineering applications
• MEM30009 — Contribute to the design of basic mechanical systems
• MEM30010 — Set up basic hydraulic circuits
• MEM30011 — Set up basic pneumatic circuits
• MEM30013 — Assist in the preparation of a basic workplace layout
• MEM30014 — Apply basic just in time systems to the reduction of waste
• MEM30015 — Develop recommendations for basic set up time improvements
• MEM30016 — Assist in the analysis of a supply chain
• MEM30017 — Use basic preventative maintenance techniques and tools
• MEM30018 — Undertake basic process planning
• MEM30019 — Use resource planning software systems in manufacturing
• MEM30020 — Develop and manage a plan for a simple manufacturing related project
• MEM30021 — Prepare a simple production schedule
• MEM30022 — Undertake supervised procurement activities
• MEM30023 — Prepare a simple cost estimate for a manufactured product
• MEM30024 — Participate in quality assurance techniques
• MEM30025 — Analyse a simple electrical system circuit
• MEM30026 — Select and test components for simple electronic switching and timing circuits
• MEM30027 — Prepare basic programs for programmable logic controllers
• MEM30028 — Assist in sales of technical products
• MEM30031 — Operate computer-aided design (CAD) system to produce basic drawing elements
• MEM30032 — Produce basic engineering drawings
• MEM30033 — Use computer-aided design (CAD) to create and display 3D models
• MEM48001 — Test the mechanical properties of materials
• MEM48002 — Monitor ferrous melting and casting processes
• MEM48003 — Monitor nonferrous melting and casting processes
• MEM48004 — Interpret basic binary phase diagrams
• MEM48005 — Apply basic knowledge of casting operations
• MSMENV272 — Participate in environmentally sustainable work practices
• MSS402003 — Apply competitive systems and practices
• MSS402004 — Sustain process improvements
• MSS402022 — Apply quick changeover procedures
• MSS402032 — Interpret cost and waste in terms of customer value
• MSS402054 — Monitor process capability
• MSS402062 — Use SCADA systems in operations
• MSS402084 — Undertake root cause analysis
• MSS402086 — Use planning software systems in operations
• MSS402087 — Apply cost factors to work practices
• MSS403031 — Analyse and improve manual handling processes
• MSS403081 — Ensure process improvements are sustained
• MSS403082 — Improve cost factors in work practices
• MSTGN4017 — Participate in product engineering
• MSTGN4020 — Contribute to the development of products or processes
• TLIG2007 — Work in a socially diverse environment

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 Engineering - Electronic Trade (MEM30422, 96 points)
• Certificate III in Engineering - Mechanical Trade (MEM30219, 96 points)
• Certificate III in Engineering - Production Systems (MEM30119, 96 points)
• Certificate IV in Advanced Jewellery Manufacture (MEM40322, 132 points)
• Diploma of Engineering - Prototyping (MEM50622, 20 units)

More RPL in engineering and manufacturing

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

When you are ready, see what MEM30522 costs and what the guide asks you for, or read what counts as evidence and how RPL compares with doing the course.