New Competence Requirements for The Management of Waste and Other Permitted Facilities

Albion Environmental is pleased to announce that they are currently awaiting approval to deliver the newly devised nationally recognised qualifications developed by the Chartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM) and the Waste Management Industry Training and Advisory Board (WAMITAB).

The new qualifications have been developed as part of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Waste Implementation Programme which aims are to raise the skills of UK Waste Managers in relation to waste treatment technologies.

The new nationally recognised qualifications available are:

 Level 4 HLA Award in Waste Treatment Technologies;
 Level 3 VRQ in the Principals and Practices of Sustainable Waste Management;
 Level 3 VRQ in Waste and Resource Management.

Note that these changes are only relevant to England and Wales and are not applicable to Scotland or Northern Ireland, However – that said, Watch This Space!.

How did the new Vocationally Related Qualifications (VRQ) and Higher Level Award (HLA) Qualifications come about?

Competency on waste management and other permitted facilities is now defined by the Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR) 2007.
The new regulations allow DEFRA and the Welsh Assembly Government to approve a competency scheme for England and Wales that meets these requirements. This change’s the way in which competency is reached for the majority of different waste management and other permitted facilities.

Following on from the forth Environmental Permitting Programme (EPP) Consultation, which included revisions of the requirements for technical competence, two schemes were submitted. The first scheme based on individual competence submitted by the Chartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM) and the Management Industry Training and Advisory Board (WAMITAB) and the second scheme based on a corporate level for competence management systems, submitted by the Environmental Services Association (ESA) and EU Skills.

The individual scheme submitted by CIWM and WAMITAB has now been approved and with effect from 5 April 2008. The Technical Competence Scheme has been based on individuals demonstrating personal competence within a prescribed framework. It seeks to build on and improve the existing COTC Scheme so that relevant achievements through the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) / Certificate of Technical Competence (COTC) are still recognised.

However the new scheme identifies that different types of waste facilities pose different levels of risks to the environment and therefore demonstrate that technical competence should be proportional. It also recognised that individuals have different learning and development preferences and therefore the scheme offers choice’s in the way they want to achieve their competency. The scheme also ensures that individuals maintain their competency through continuous learning. A Continuous competence system has been built into the new scheme ensuring that all individuals remain up to date with relevant knowledge.

Different Levels of Risk Require Different Levels of Competence.
You will have to demonstrate initial competence by gaining one of the awards within the new scheme. Which award you go for will depend on which risk tier your activity is in. See Fig 1 below:

The high risk tier only allows for the full NVQ. However, at medium and low risk tiers a choice of awards are given in order to offer flexibility and cater for different learning styles and needs. At low risk the Environmental Permit Operators Certificate (EPOC) offers a two day training course with a scenario-based assessment and, at medium risk, the VRQ is a vocational related qualification that is a combination of taught modules, scenario based assessments and an assignment based on the specific site/activity. The new scheme ensures you stay up to date with legislation changes and other changes by way of continuous competence requirements.

FAQ’s

What if I am already “competent”? Do I have to gain another qualification?

No. If you already have an appropriate NVQ Certificate of Technical Competence (COTC) then this will still be valid as an initial award. If you have been identified as being “deemed competent” by the Environment Agency then you will also not need to gain an initial award. If you currently fall outside of needing a COTC, and you have been assessed by the Environment Agency, you will also not need to gain an initial award.

Does that mean that if I don’t need to gain a new award, then I don’t need to do anything else?

No, everyone who wishes to remain technically competent must undertake continuing competence. How you do this is up to you, however you must demonstrate through assessment that you understand and can apply the knowledge.

What is continuing competence?

Continuing competence is a requirement to keep up-to-date with changes and key issues relating to a waste and secondary resource permit activity. What needs to be covered within your continuing competence will be set at the start of the continuing competence period by an industry panel. The continuing competence syllabus will be re-set every two years and, in order to maintain your technical competence status, you will need to pass an assessment. The appropriate updates can be obtained from a variety of sources and by a variety of methods, such as seminars, informal discussions, reading journals, in-house training, external training, briefing sessions etc, depending upon your preferences and budget. You may take the assessment at any time during the two-year period.

If you wish to discuss any of the points above or still have concerns about the new changes please do not hesitate to contact Albion Environmental.