The National Certificate in Civil Construction Works (Horizontal Directional Drilling) is a Level 3 qualification. It will replace the existing National Certificates in Horizontal Directional Drilling – Level 2, and Horizontal Directional Drilling (Site Controller), Level 3 – offered by InfraTrain, and current trainees will be able to transfer to the new qualification.
The new national certificate meets the requirement for an up-to-date qualification that is relevant to the industry’s needs. Designed for people working in HDD operations, it comprises core compulsory and elective unit standards, plus elective strands for driller, tracker and site supervisor roles.
The core compulsory units cover:
- Preparation for HDD operations and site restoration
- Bore exit and pipe entry tasks
- Strike avoidance and strike response
- Health, safety and environment requirements
The core elective section provides a wide choice of units which can be selected to suit job requirements, including:
- First Aid
- Civil plant operation and management
- Civil construction works
- Civil construction supervision
- Health, safety and environment
- Temporary traffic management.
Industry technical experts have provided advice on the unit standards and the structure of the qualification, and on a learning resource – Horizontal Directional Drilling Guide for the Driller, Tracker and Site Supervisor – to assist trainees in their learning. The guide covers key responsibilities for each of the roles, as well as information about obtaining consents, ground conditions, drill fluids, strike avoidance and dealing with strikes, and site set-up.
InfraTrain Project Manager Amanda Smidt says “During the development stage, the qualification and learning resource were trialled with a selection of industry trainees and employers. Their feedback resulted in further improvements being made prior to the launch.
“InfraTrain has been greatly encouraged by the positive response from delegates at the recent Trenchless Australasia 2009 conference.”
Steve Apeldoorn, Director of ProjectMax Limited and NZ Councillor for the Australian Society for Trenchless Technology said “This new qualification is an important step in the continuing improvement and growing professionalism of the trenchless industry within New Zealand. We recognise the benefits that this new qualification brings by providing a means of specifying, developing and assessing the specialist knowledge required for this type of work.”
The National Certificate in Civil Construction Works (Horizontal Directional Drilling) is available for enrolment now.