Collect and Prepare Samples

BRUCE MCCLURE, General Manager of the CMPA reports on the Collect and Prepare Samples course.

OVER the last few years it has become evident from CMPA members requests that the extractive industry required a course that enabled quarry personal to collect product samples on site either for confirmation of the products and/or for further compliance testing.

This is a very important issue for many members who have sites remote from testing laboratories and/or do not have testing facilities on site. To be able to sample products by your own staff and send them to laboratories for processing not only reduces costs but also enhances and improves the supply of product.

The CMPA has been in discussion with a number of providers regarding the provision of a course over a number of years but it has been difficult to find a provider prepared to invest time and resources into an area that is seen by many to have insufficient numbers to justify the effort.

As a consequence of representation by industry and the CMPA, the Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE (BRIT) has developed a “Collect and Prepare Samples” course which will allow sampling to take place at a quarry site for testing at an authorised laboratory either on or off site. The course has been developed with assistance and advice from Vic Roads and from members of the CMPA.

Discussions regarding the course have also been held with NATA who had no concerns with the course provided that it meets the requirements of VicRoads.

BRIT is also developing a “Conduct Laboratory Based Acceptance Test on Construction Materials” course that will be available early next year and will be beneficial for all members who have at least a basic testing laboratory facility on site and this course can be used to train and gain qualifications for staff members.

It should be noted that both of the above courses are being developed in a way to ensure that they meet the criteria required for compliance for two units of the Certificate III qualification in Surface Extraction Operations. The courses are therefore part of a career structure for employees.

The first “Collect and Prepare Samples” course was run recently in Bendigo and fourteen personnel attended. As one would expect from a pilot course there were a few teething problems which will need to be addressed.

Feedback from the majority of the people attending the course indicated that they were reasonably happy with it but most also indicated a number of areas where they felt changes were needed.

One interesting aspect that this course has highlighted is the direction that many courses conducted for certificate training are going. There were a number of people who attended the course who had no prior learning or experience and therefore expected to be actually taught how to sample.

Conversely, a number of people on the course did have training and experience in sampling and therefore were really only there to receive confirmation and recognition of their prior learning. This raises a real issue for all involved in the extractive and mining industries as one needs to ask who in the future will teach the skills needed to take relevant samples in accordance with the Australia Standard if a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) is only there to certify competence due to prior learning. BRIT is the only educational provider providing any course in Victoria appropriate to site sampling.

Following discussion between the CMPA and BRIT, future courses will be structured so that both site sampling training and laboratory based acceptance testing training plus recognition of prior learning will be catered for. BRIT personnel intend to ensure that they have a greater understanding of the people att ending the course and their requirements well before any future course. It may also be the case that there will be pre-course study for some who have no prior training but the exact details are yet to be finalised. One comment that was made by most participants is that the course should be run entirely at a quarry site and not in a class room in the town or city with participants only going to an actual site for the practical component of the course. This comment is seen as having considerable merit and will be adopted where possible.

The positive attitude that BRIT has adopted and their intention to incorporate many of the comments from the course participants is excellent and shows that BRIT is responsive to the needs of the industry. The CMPA has been assured that the next course will reflect these comments and the industry will be the better for it.

The CMPA intends to remain an active partner in the development of this and other courses that our members need.

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