Understanding Statement of Attainment vs Traffic Management Accreditations. This is a common question we commonly see confusion around:
“What is the difference between statement of attainment and traffic management accreditations?”
When it comes to traffic management certification in WA there are several types:
? Statements of Attainment
? Certificate of Accreditation (Main Roads WA Traffic Management Accreditation), and
? Main Roads WA Accreditation Photo ID Card
What are the differences?
Each one is different and has a unique purpose. Let us help you learn and understand more about each one and what they mean.
Statements of Attainment (SOA)
Statement of attainment means a statement issued to a person confirming that the person has satisfied the requirements of the unit/s of competency or accredited short course specified in the statement.
Statements of attainment are documents (like a certificate) that show the units of competency that a student completes as part of a nationally recognised course.
Unfortunately, we can’t call them certificates because ‘certificates’ are a different type of qualification in vocational training. Sorry, we know this is a little confusing!
In the world of vocational training, to be eligible for a qualification (such as a Certificate III in Civil Construction), a student is required to complete several modules called Units of Competency or UoOC (Unit of Competency). A Statement of Attainment is issued when a student completes one or more of these units of competency but does not complete the full list of units of competency required for a full qualification.
A Statement of Attainment is a document showing which units of competency a student has completed as part of a nationally recognised training course. This document can only be issued by a registered training organisation (RTO), which you can look up and search any RTO using www.training.gov.au
Do Statements of Attainment expire?
Statements of Attainment do not have expiration dates. However, the various ‘tickets” and accreditations that you may use your SOAs with, often have their own regulations to do with how long they remain valid.
Example: The Statement of Attainment you receive when completing a Basic Worksite Traffic Management & Traffic Controller (BWTM & TC) course, do not have any expiry date. However, the Main Roads WA BWTM & TC Certificate of Accreditation and Accreditation Photo ID card received with it does have an expiry date of 3 years. After 3 years, reaccreditation training is required to keep skills current and up to date with industry regulations and changes.
Does a Statement of Attainment mean I can implement traffic management legally?
While a Statement of Attainment proves you have completed a certain Unit of Competency (UOC), it is not always, on its own, enough to allow you to legally implement traffic management or perform certain tasks.
Example: Completing our Worksite Traffic Management (WTM) course will award you with a Statement of Attainment. However, you must then also meet all the required Main Roads WA prerequisites for your Main Roads WA Certificate of Accreditation and Photo ID accreditation card before you can legally perform the responsibilities within that level of accreditation – the Statement of Attainment by itself is not enough.
When enrolling in training you will often be asked to produce your previous Statement of Attainment to prove you have successfully completed the unit of competencies required for certain training courses. Did you know that all your training records are kept on your USI (Unique Student Identifier) transcript and this transcript can be used to verify you have completed the units of competencies needed.
Certificate of Accreditation (Main Roads WA Traffic Management Accreditation)
A certificate of accreditation is a document proving the attendance of a Main Roads WA training course that has led to an industry accreditation.
Main Roads WA accreditations could include Basic Worksite Traffic Management (BWTM), Worksite Traffic Management (WTM) or Operate Truck Mounted Attenuator (OTMA) just to name a few.
Do Certificates of Accreditation expire?
Yes! Now this is where we do not want to confuse you. However, these certificates of accreditations are classed as ‘tickets” and Main Roads WA accreditations ‘tickets’ are only valid for a period of 3 years.
Re-accreditation is required to ensure that practitioners are kept up to date with any changes in legislation, standards, and guidelines since they last completed their training. It also allows practitioners to remain current with changes in technology and work practices over the previous three-year period. Learn more about reaccreditation training here.
Main Roads WA Accreditation Photo ID Card
Proof of certification is issued by registered training organisations in the form of an accreditation ‘Photo ID’ card. Persons performing on-site traffic management tasks shall always carry this proof of certification with them. This can be in either a digital format or a hard copy card. We recommend using a digital format, that way is more conveniently accessible anytime, anywhere!
Main Roads WA Graduate Search is the only official register for all Main Roads WA Accreditations. This is helpful for employers wanting to verify accreditation details and to check your expiry details. Those that are not listed have either not been issued with an accreditation or have expired or had their accreditation withdrawn.
Do you need training?
AusQ Training offer a range of courses to assist you in the traffic management or construction industry, in Bunbury, Perth and all over WA – to view our range of public training courses [click here] or view our calendar here.
Make a time to chat to one of our Customer Support Team members [here] to discuss your traffic management training needs.
