MSS50211 Diploma of Environmental Monitoring and Technology

Release: 1

MSS50211 Diploma of Environmental Monitoring and Technology

Modification History

Not applicable.

Description

This qualification covers the skills and knowledge required to apply a range of methods and technologies to conduct environmental sampling, testing and monitoring in most industry sectors and to assist environmental scientists, engineers and planners with site assessment, minimising environmental impacts of processes and remediation/rehabilitation of sites.

Job roles/employment outcomes

The MSS50211 Diploma of Environmental Monitoring and Technology provides technical training across a range of industry sectors, such as:

environmental monitoring, sampling and field testing (e.g. air, odour, water, soil and noise)

geotechnical services

natural resource management

occupational hygiene monitoring (e.g. air, noise and radiation)

water supply and treatment, storm and wastewater management

solid and hazardous waste management

site remediation and rehabilitation

resource efficiency (e.g. energy, water and waste auditing).

Job roles targeted by this qualification include environmental officers, environmental protection officers, environmental compliance officers, environmental technicians and similar personnel employed by enterprises and Commonwealth, state/territory/local governments in the sectors listed above. These personnel often work with environmental scientists, engineers, planners and community groups to manage and conserve natural systems and resources, minimise pollution, remediate/rehabilitate sites and trial practical strategies to protect and improve ecosystems. Their work often involves environmental monitoring and technology, internal auditing and continuous improvements to enhance compliance and minimise the environmental impacts of processes. Government employees may be more involved with external inspection and auditing of enterprises and negotiating appropriate responses to instances of non-compliance.

In broad terms, they may:

plan and schedule work and project activities (e.g. inspections and field surveys) and determine equipment, materials and consumable requirements

develop site or field plans/instructions for specific environmental management activities

assist with the design of environmental monitoring programs for sites/areas

contribute to the assessment of environmental impacts of development and human activities

undertake part or total ecological studies for a site

conduct site inspections and full or part environmental audits of processes

conduct field surveys of flora, fauna, water and soils

collect samples/specimens, such as air, odour, water, groundwater, waste, soil residues, noise, biological, microbiological and geological

set up, test, conduct calibration checks and operate a wide range of environmental monitoring equipment, field test instruments, data loggers, and/or remote sensing stations

troubleshoot, repair, maintain and/or adapt instrumentation

conduct tests/measurements involving air, odour, water, groundwater, waste, soil residues, noise, microbiological, geological and meteorological samples

collect, process and present spatial/attribute data using global positioning systems (GPS) and geographical information systems (GIS)

analyse data to identify trends, unexpected results and report conclusions

provide environmental management information to site personnel, enterprises, industry organisations and communities

provide environmental management information to site personnel and community members

conduct technical training and work skill instruction

suggest strategies to minimise environmental impacts and for the remediation or rehabilitation of sites/areas

explain inspection/audit findings, negotiate outcomes with enterprise representatives, and issue notices, as necessary

prepare costings and proposals, manage the finances for small projects, and report and present project progress and outcomes.

Application

This qualification is typically used to prepare new employees or develop the skills of existing workers performing an environmental officer role in most industry sectors.

Training programs for this qualification are suitable to be undertaken as part of a formal training contract with an employer under an Australian Traineeship or Apprenticeship arrangement.

Pathways Information

Pathways into the qualification

This qualification may be accessed by direct entry. Credit may be granted towards this qualification by those who have completed the MSL20109 Certificate II in Sampling and Measurement or the MSS40211 Certificate IV in Environmental Monitoring and Technology. Credit for this qualification may include units contained within relevant Skill Sets.

Pathways from the qualification

Further training pathways from this qualification include qualifications in the higher education sector and the MSS70211 Vocational Graduate Certificate in Environmental Management.

Career paths for environmental technicians are becoming increasingly constrained unless they undertake university study. With this in mind, particular attention has been given to stating the critical aspects of competency and essential knowledge required for each unit of competency in sufficient detail to maximise articulation and credit transfer arrangements between the vocational education and training (VET) and higher education sectors.

Additional qualification advice

Because specialisation is a requirement in some industry sectors for the Diploma, Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) may choose to issue a generic:

Diploma of Environmental Monitoring and Technology

or, where elective units of competency are packaged to suit a particular industry sector or specialisation, RTOs may choose to issue a:

Diploma of Environmental Monitoring and Technology (specialising in xxxxxxx)

Industry sector/specialisations could include, but are not limited to:

water

air

odour

soil

noise.

Licensing/Regulatory Information

There are no specific licences that relate to this qualification.

Entry Requirements

This qualification may be accessed by direct entry.

Employability Skills Summary

The following table contains a summary of the employability skills as identified by industry for this qualification. This table should be interpreted in conjunction with the detailed requirements of each unit of competency packaged in this qualification. The outcomes described here are broad industry requirements that reflect skill requirements for this level.
Communication	Communicate appropriately with site personnel and community members in order to respond effectively to requests for environmental information Write procedures using an unambiguous, logical sequence of instructions that meet statutory and regulatory requirements Record and store data, perform calculations of scientific quantities and present information in maps, diagrams, tables and graphs Report using verbal responses, data entry into the enterprise information management system and brief written reports Contribute information to reports for clients Liaise with contractors, consultants, community representatives, regulator representatives and members of the public
Teamwork	Work effectively with team members who may have diverse work styles, cultures and perspectives when reporting problems, hazards and environmental incidents and results or contributing to system improvements Promote cooperation and good relations in the team
Problem solving	Adjust sampling/monitoring procedures or substitute alternative instruments and measurement standards to suit local site conditions (but within scope of responsibility/technical competence) Recognise potential or actual environmental management non-conformances, assess their significance and recommend preventative or corrective actions Apply specialised technical knowledge to critically analyse and resolve complex problems and non-conformances where solutions are not obvious or readily available Troubleshoot sampling/monitoring equipment and instruments in the field and make basic repairs
Initiative and enterprise	Recommend appropriate preventative/corrective actions to improve sampling, field testing and/or monitoring activities Identify hazards associated with samples, sample collection methods, reagents and equipment and implement enterprise control measures Research current, alternative sampling/monitoring methods and equipment Research environmental monitoring and management case studies and models of good practice Suggest improvements in productivity and quality
Planning and organising	Plan surveys and field studies Identify, assemble, check and stow all required field equipment and materials for safe transport Modify work plans to suit changing conditions and priorities Assemble, organise, check and optimise monitoring equipment for specific sites or use Plan work sequences to optimise efficiency without sacrificing quality
Self-management	Communicate in an efficient and polite manner, taking into account cultural diversity and disabilities and the wide range of views that stakeholders may have about environmental issues Follow enterprise procedures which reflect equal opportunity, anti-discrimination and non-harassment legislative requirements Conduct work based on ethical values and principles and ensure quality and integrity of own work Review own strengths, weaknesses and work practices for opportunities to continuously improve performance Maintain security and confidentiality of all client/enterprise data and information Regularly (re)assess risks; step back and consider options; and use controls, safe work procedures and appropriate personal protective equipment to ensure personal safety
Learning	Seek and respond to feedback from supervisor and other site personnel about performance Update knowledge and skills and take advantage of skill development opportunities Provide information to other site personnel about their environmental management obligations
Technology	Select and use computers and software to collect, process, present, report and/or store information Select, use and optimise sampling and monitoring equipment, field-test instruments, data loggers and/or remote sensing equipment

Packaging Rules

To be awarded the MSS50211 Diploma of Environmental Monitoring and Technology, competency must be achieved in a total of twenty (20) units of competency.

eleven (11) core units of competency

nine (9) elective units of competency, as specified below.

Units listed under core are considered essential for all environmental officers. The units listed as electives may only apply to some personnel according to the size and scope of the particular enterprise and industry sector.

Note: Units with prerequisites are marked with an asterisk. Refer to the unit for details.

Core units of competency

Complete the following eleven (11) units of competency.

Unit code	Unit title	P
MSS024002A	Implement environmental management plans and procedures
MSS024003A	Apply an understanding of environmental principles to a site
MSS024004A	Process and present environmental data
MSS025001A	Assist with assessing site environmental indicators	*
MSS025002A	Assess the environmental risk or impact of a project activity or process	*
MSS025003A	Report environmental data	*
MSS025004A	Provide environmental information to customers
MSAENV472B	Implement and monitor environmentally sustainable work practices
MSL943002A	Participate in laboratory/field workplace safety
MSL952001A	Collect routine site samples
MSL974007A	Undertake environmental field-based monitoring

Elective units of competency

Complete nine (9) elective units of competency, made up of:

a minimum of five (5) units from Group A

the balance of units, to a maximum of four (4), may be selected from:

Group A units, not previously selected

Group B and C units, listed below, with a maximum of three (3) units from Group C.

A maximum of four (4) Group B and C electives may be selected from this Training Package, other endorsed Training Packages and accredited courses, where those units are relevant and available at Diploma level and above. This could include relevant units available in AHC10 Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package.

Group A: Specialist elective units

Unit code	Unit title	P
MSS015001A	Measure and report carbon footprint
MSS015010A	Conduct a sustainability water use audit
MSS015011A	Conduct a sustainability energy audit
MSS015012A	Conduct an emissions audit
MSS015018A	Inform and advise organisation and community representatives on sustainability issues
MSS025005A	Produce site maps	*
MSS025006A	Collect and evaluate groundwater data
MSS025007A	Perform sampling and testing of soils	*
MSS025008A	Monitor and evaluate noise
MSS025009A	Perform sampling and testing of air
MSS025010A	Assist with odour source assessment
MSS025011A	Assist with odour field assessment
MSS025012A	Perform environmental microbiological tests	*
MSS025013A	Assist with assessing and monitoring wetlands
MSS025014A	Perform sampling and testing of contaminated sites	*
MSS025015A	Plan and conduct environmental project work
MSS025016A	Perform sampling and testing of stationary emissions
MSL975011A	Design and supervise complex environmental field surveys	*
MSL975017A	Perform laboratory-based ecological techniques	*
MSL975023A	Supervise geotechnical site investigations	*
PRMWM01B	Plan waste audit
PRMWM02B	Carry out waste audit
PSPRAD707A	Monitor radiation

Group B: Elective units

Unit code	Unit title	P
MSS014006A	Contribute to sustainability related audits
MSS024001A	Work and communicate effectively as an environmental technician
MSS024005A	Collect spatial and discrete environmental data
MSS024006A	Perform sampling and testing of water
MSS024007A	Collect and evaluate meteorological data
MSS024008A	Recognise common geological landforms and samples
MSS024009A	Assist with assessing and monitoring stormwater systems
MSS024010A	Perform environmental biological techniques
MSS024011A	Navigate in urban, regional and remote areas
MSS024012A	Undertake simple environmental project activities
BSBOHS406C	Use equipment to conduct workplace monitoring
MSL904001A	Perform standard calibrations
MSL924002A	Use laboratory application software
MSL954001A	Obtain representative samples in accordance with sampling plan
MSL974002A	Conduct geotechnical site investigations	*
MSL974003A	Perform chemical tests and procedures
MSL974006A	Perform biological procedures	*
MSL974009A	Undertake field-based, remote sensing monitoring
PSPRAD703A	Perform basic radiation measurements

Group C: Elective units

Unit code	Unit title	P
CUVPHI05B	Use a 35mm SLR camera or digital equivalent
HLTFA301B	Apply first aid
MSAENV272B	Participate in environmentally sustainable work practices
MSL935004A	Maintain instruments and equipment
MSL973001A	Perform basic tests
MSL973002A	Prepare working solutions
MSL973004A	Perform asceptic techniques
MSL973007A	Perform microscopic examination
MSL973012A	Assist with geotechnical site investigations
PRMWM01B	Plan waste audit
PRMWM02B	Carry out waste audit
PSPRAD707A	Monitor radiation
PUAWER009B	Participate as a member of a workplace emergency initial response team
TAEDEL301A	Provide work skill instruction

Custom Content Section

Not applicable.