RPL for Certificate IV in Water Industry Operations

Certificate IV in Water Industry Operations 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 NWP40120 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 NWP40120. 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 NWP40120 involves →

The 10 units you complete, chosen from these 64

You do not do all 64. Certificate IV in Water Industry Operations is 3 core units, which everyone does, plus 7 chosen from the 61 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

• BSBPEF402 — Develop personal work priorities
• BSBWHS411 — Implement and monitor WHS policies, procedures and programs
• NWPGEN030 — Coordinate and monitor the application of environmental plans and procedures

Electives — you choose from these

• AHCLPW313 — Undertake sampling and testing of water
• BSBINS302 — Organise workplace information
• BSBLDR414 — Lead team effectiveness
• BSBOPS402 — Coordinate business operational plans
• BSBOPS404 — Implement customer service strategies
• BSBWHS412 — Assist with workplace compliance with WHS laws
• BSBWHS413 — Contribute to implementation and maintenance of WHS consultation and participation processes
• BSBWHS414 — Contribute to WHS risk management
• BSBWHS416 — Contribute to workplace incident response
• BSBWHS431 — Develop processes and procedures for controlling hazardous chemicals in the workplace
• BSBXBD403 — Analyse big data
• BSBXBD404 — Use big data for operational decision making
• BSBXCM401 — Apply communication strategies in the workplace
• BSBXTW401 — Lead and facilitate a team
• FSKNUM021 — Apply an expanding range of arithmetical calculations for work
• MSL924005 — Process and interpret data
• MSS404063 — Facilitate the use of SCADA systems in a team or work area
• NWPCAD001 — Respond to blue-green algae outbreaks
• NWPCAD003 — Identify and confirm blue-green algae outbreaks
• NWPCAD014 — Inspect and report river performance
• NWPCAD021 — Coordinate and monitor bulkwater system operations
• NWPCAD022 — Coordinate and monitor groundwater system usage
• NWPCAD023 — Develop and implement catchment operational plans
• NWPCAD024 — Implement dam safety plans
• NWPGEN020 — Sample and test source or drinking water
• NWPGEN022 — Perform laboratory testing
• NWPGEN025 — Apply principles of chemistry to water systems and processes
• NWPGEN027 — Monitor and operate pump stations
• NWPGEN028 — Investigate and report on breaches of water industry legislation
• NWPGEN029 — Contribute to continuous improvement of quality systems
• NWPGEN031 — Develop an operational plan
• NWPGEN032 — Ensure compliance with water industry standards, guidelines and legislation
• NWPGEN033 — Sample and test trade wastewater
• NWPHYD006 — Measure discharge and process discharge data using a range of methods and equipment
• NWPHYD007 — Measure discharge using wading method
• NWPHYD008 — Operate, maintain and decommission monitoring sites
• NWPHYD009 — Undertake surveying of monitoring sites
• NWPIWS013 — Coordinate and monitor pumped rural irrigation systems
• NWPIWS014 — Coordinate and monitor the operation of irrigation delivery systems
• NWPNET055 — Coordinate and manage maintenance and repair of network assets
• NWPNET056 — Coordinate and monitor network asset construction
• NWPNET057 — Establish connections of water and wastewater systems
• NWPNET058 — Optimise network systems
• NWPNET059 — Supervise and report on conduit inspections
• NWPTRD006 — Investigate trade waste incidents and non-compliances
• NWPTRD007 — Monitor trade waste approvals
• NWPTRD008 — Process standard trade waste approvals
• NWPTRT049 — Assess and improve activated sludge and biological nutrient removal processes
• NWPTRT050 — Assess and improve anaerobic digestion processes
• NWPTRT057 — Assess and improve coagulation and flocculation processes
• NWPTRT058 — Assess and improve desalination processes
• NWPTRT059 — Assess and improve granular media filters
• NWPTRT060 — Assess and improve membrane bioreactor processes
• NWPTRT063 — Assess and improve membrane filters
• NWPTRT064 — Assess and improve sedimentation processes
• NWPTRT065 — Assess and improve treatment for removal of microorganisms in drinking water and recycled water
• NWPTRT066 — Assess and improve wastewater processes to control microbial impacts
• NWPTRT067 — Assess and optimise chemical dosing processes in wastewater
• RIICTT401E — Supervise the installation of underground services using trenchless technology
• RIICTT402E — Supervise repair and rehabilitation of underground services using trenchless technology
• 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 Water Industry Operations (NWP30222, 11 units)

When you are ready, see what NWP40120 costs and what the guide asks you for, or read what counts as evidence and how RPL compares with doing the course.