Diploma of Environmental Monitoring and Technology

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.

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.


Subjects

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

add topic MSS024002A

Implement environmental management plans and procedures

add topic MSS024003A

Apply an understanding of environmental principles to a site

add topic MSS024004A

Process and present environmental data

add topic MSS025001A

Assist with assessing site environmental indicators

*

add topic MSS025002A

Assess the environmental risk or impact of a project activity or process

*

add topic MSS025003A

Report environmental data

*

add topic MSS025004A

Provide environmental information to customers

add topic MSAENV472B

Implement and monitor environmentally sustainable work practices

add topic MSL943002A

Participate in laboratory/field workplace safety

add topic MSL952001A

Collect routine site samples

add topic 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

add topic MSS015001A

Measure and report carbon footprint

add topic MSS015010A

Conduct a sustainability water use audit

add topic MSS015011A

Conduct a sustainability energy audit

add topic MSS015012A

Conduct an emissions audit

add topic MSS015018A

Inform and advise organisation and community representatives on sustainability issues

add topic MSS025005A

Produce site maps

*

add topic MSS025006A

Collect and evaluate groundwater data

add topic MSS025007A

Perform sampling and testing of soils

*

add topic MSS025008A

Monitor and evaluate noise

add topic MSS025009A

Perform sampling and testing of air

add topic MSS025010A

Assist with odour source assessment

add topic MSS025011A

Assist with odour field assessment

add topic MSS025012A

Perform environmental microbiological tests

*

add topic MSS025013A

Assist with assessing and monitoring wetlands

add topic MSS025014A

Perform sampling and testing of contaminated sites

*

add topic MSS025015A

Plan and conduct environmental project work

add topic MSS025016A

Perform sampling and testing of stationary emissions

add topic MSL975011A

Design and supervise complex environmental field surveys

*

add topic MSL975017A

Perform laboratory-based ecological techniques

*

add topic MSL975023A

Supervise geotechnical site investigations

*

add topic PRMWM01B

Plan waste audit

add topic PRMWM02B

Carry out waste audit

add topic PSPRAD707A

Monitor radiation

Group B: Elective units

Unit code

Unit title

P

add topic MSS014006A

Contribute to sustainability related audits

add topic MSS024001A

Work and communicate effectively as an environmental technician

add topic MSS024005A

Collect spatial and discrete environmental data

add topic MSS024006A

Perform sampling and testing of water

add topic MSS024007A

Collect and evaluate meteorological data

add topic MSS024008A

Recognise common geological landforms and samples

add topic MSS024009A

Assist with assessing and monitoring stormwater systems

add topic MSS024010A

Perform environmental biological techniques

add topic MSS024011A

Navigate in urban, regional and remote areas

add topic MSS024012A

Undertake simple environmental project activities

add topic BSBOHS406C

Use equipment to conduct workplace monitoring

add topic MSL904001A

Perform standard calibrations

add topic MSL924002A

Use laboratory application software

add topic MSL954001A

Obtain representative samples in accordance with sampling plan

add topic MSL974002A

Conduct geotechnical site investigations

*

add topic MSL974003A

Perform chemical tests and procedures

add topic MSL974006A

Perform biological procedures

*

add topic MSL974009A

Undertake field-based, remote sensing monitoring

add topic PSPRAD703A

Perform basic radiation measurements

Group C: Elective units

Unit code

Unit title

P

add topic CUVPHI05B

Use a 35mm SLR camera or digital equivalent

add topic HLTFA301B

Apply first aid

add topic MSAENV272B

Participate in environmentally sustainable work practices

add topic MSL935004A

Maintain instruments and equipment

add topic MSL973001A

Perform basic tests

add topic MSL973002A

Prepare working solutions

add topic MSL973004A

Perform asceptic techniques

add topic MSL973007A

Perform microscopic examination

add topic MSL973012A

Assist with geotechnical site investigations

add topic PRMWM01B

Plan waste audit

add topic PRMWM02B

Carry out waste audit

add topic PSPRAD707A

Monitor radiation

add topic PUAWER009B

Participate as a member of a workplace emergency initial response team

add topic TAEDEL301A

Provide work skill instruction


Pathways...

    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.


Entry Requirements

This qualification may be accessed by direct entry.


Licensing Information

There are no specific licences that relate to this qualification.


Employability Skills

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