Professional Certificate in AM Planning - Testimonials FAQs

 



Success Stories

City of Calgary
Troy Sykes | Business Operations Analyst
Why international members are turning to IPWEA’s Professional Certificate in AM Planning

Mildura Rural City Council
Ken Conrick | Asset Engineer
Straightening things out: how to survive an audit of your asset management

Cabonne Shire Council
Sogol Ghobad | Water & Sewer Engineer
Don’t miss out on your next promotion: get skilled up

Latrobe City Council
Kate Reiske | Team Leader in Asset Strategy
Sign up for online asset management training today

Testimonials

“Capacity building in municipal asset management is a national priority. CPWA has been working with IPWEA to bring its’ 20 years of experience in sustainable asset management to the municipal and public works infrastructure sectors in Canada.”
Andrew Stevenson | CPWA President

"The instructors are excellent, and the concepts well covered. The hands-on aspect is good; working with the data and having to submit the asset management plan, having to supply answers to questions, I think that's a great way to make sure people get the concepts”.
John McHugh | Santa Clara Valley Water District, California, USA
 
“The introductory three-day NAMS workshops create the foundation well-suited to all practitioners. However, the Professional Certificate provides further skills at the leadership level which builds on that foundation.”
David Love | City of Courtenay

“The course is well suited to the Canadian environment because it aligns with ISO 55001 standards and the asset management principles taught are universal. Participants will learn valuable asset management skills in a real-life situation."
Troy Sykes | City of Calgary, Canada

"I really enjoyed this course. In my job role I don't typically write AM plans, but I provide the data and the analysis around the data. I found this course very useful to understand what the Asset Officers are talking about with their plans and how I can best assist them in the future. I was given the opportunity to create an AM plan that will actually be used at our Council and I'm really pleased with how much I've learnt and how much more I can contribute to my Council now that I've completed the course. I would highly recommend this course".
Alyssa Todd | Asset Information Officer, City of Charles Sturt, Australia

"The instructors are excellent, and the concepts well covered. The hands-on aspect is good; working with the data and having to submit the asset management plan, having to supply answers to questions, I think that's a great way to make sure people get the concepts”.
John McHugh | Santa Clara Valley Water District, California, USA

"Everything was so well packaged.. so well organised.. what you need for the module you have in the resources"..."I have to congratulate you on a very well prepared and run course in a most efficient manner (web base) and I hope you would expand the web base to future conferences with the same level of interaction".
Hendrik Roux | Manager Roads and Drainage Services, Bundaberg Regional Council, Australia

“Being online, the Professional Certificate allowed me to maximize my time and effort without compromising my schedule. As an international course, it opened a wider lens to the ideas and options that can be pursued. I truly appreciated that the course supported a multidisciplinary approach.”
Lisa Vass, CFO | Town of Golden, British Columbia, Canada

“Having this "on line" training provided an opportunity to provide so much more clarity to preparing a 'concise' Asset Management Plan for my municipality.  The NAMS trainers provided ongoing support which was invaluable, particularly for a small community like ours.  I would highly recommend this NAMS course to anyone working in the municipal field.”
Sandra MacArthur | Former CAO | Town of Osler, Saskatchewan, Canada

"The Chat area. Great to see other people's questions which helped to answer some of my own questions. I also liked the ability to watch the videos again. I found that I was going back to these when completing my AM Plan for clarification".
Terri Brown | Engineering Support Officer - Assets, Nambucca Shire Council, Australia

"Having access to the chat facility during each live event was excellent. The ability to ask questions and have them answered and discussed enhanced the learning experience".
Gary Arnold | General Manager, Kingborough Council, Australia

“The introductory three-day NAMS workshops create the foundation well-suited to all practitioners. However, the Professional Certificate provides further skills at the leadership level which builds on that foundation.”
David Love | City of Courtenay, Canada


 

Major Supporters

The following councils are major supporters of the Certificate, having upskilled two or more participants:
 

Ballina Shire Council

 

Gilgandra Shire Council

 

Rockhampton Regional Council

Bass Coast Shire Council

 

Glen Eira City Council

 

Selwyn District Council

Bega Valley Shire Council

 

Gold Coast City Council

 

Shellharbour City Council

Bundaberg Regional Council

 

Goldenfields Water County Council

 

Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes

Cessnock City Council

 

Gosford City Council

 

Singleton Council

City of Armadale

 

Hinchinbrook Shire Council

 

South Gippsland Shire Council

City of Bunbury

 

Hornsby Shire Council

 

Southland District Council

City Of Calgary

 

Isaac Regional Council

 

Sunshine Coast Council

City of Canning

 

Katherine Town Council

 

Sutherland Shire Council

City of Charles Sturt

 

Kingborough Council

 

Toowoomba Regional Council

City of Courtenay

 

Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council

 

Torres Shire Council

City of Gold Coast

 

Lachlan Shire Council

 

Tumut Shire Council

City of Gosnells

 

Lake Macquarie City Council

 

Upper Hunter Shire Council

City of Joondalup

 

Latrobe City Council

 

Victoria Daly Regional Council

City of Launceston

 

Lockhart Shire Council

 

Wakool Shire Council

City of Melville

 

Mackay Regional Council

 

Warringah Council

City of Palmerston

 

Mid Murray Council

 

Wollondilly Shire Council

City of Port Adelaide Enfield

 

Mildura Rural City Council

 

Wollongong City Council

City of Stonnington

 

Mount Isa City Council

 

Woollahra Municipal Council

City of Swan

 

Murray Shire Council

 

Wyong Shire Council

City of Tea Tree Gully

 

Muswellbrook Shire Council

 

Yarra Ranges Council

Clarence Valley Council

 

Nambucca Shire Council

 

 

Eurobodalla Shire Council

 

Naracoorte Lucindale Council

 

 

Flinders Shire Council

 

Narrabri Shire Council

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

FAQs
 

Q:
 What qualification is awarded for the IPWEA Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning?
A: The IPWEA Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning is a short course which is practitioner based and focussed. A professional certificate is awarded by IPWEA upon successful completion of the course.
Q: Is the IPWEA Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning recognised for CPD?
A:

As an IPWEA short course that extends or updates a practitioner’s knowledge and skills, the Professional Certificate is eligible to be recognised for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) by Engineers Australia and other professional associations as it relates to your area of practice.

In the case of Engineers Australia, EA doesn’t nominate points or hours that a course is eligible for. It is up to the individual candidate to seek recognition based on the number of hours. As a guide, there are 8 x 1.5-hour live events (12 hours). It might take an additional minimum 40-50 hours over the 11 weeks, depending on availability of data and other efforts – so a minimum of 50 hours. Our understanding is that this course is a Type II course for the purposes of EA's definitions.

The Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC) recognizes NAMS Canada as a Quality Provider of continuing education units (CEU) to the engineering community. Successful completion of the Professional Certificate is recognized as 5.0 EU points by EIC. Let us know if you are seeking CEU’s under the EIC as we will need to register you for this recognition.

You would also need to look at the rules that are applied by your own professional association in seeking recognition of CPD.
Q: If you are unable to attend some of the online live training sessions, can you view the recorded training sessions later?
A: Each of the recorded live modules can be viewed twice any time before the end of course. Recorded sessions are available 24 – 48 hours after each live event.
Q: What's meant by sponsored by NAMS.PLUS subscribing organisation? How can you obtain proof that you are sponsored by a NAMS.PLUS subscribing organisation?
A: NAMS.PLUS is subscription based service that provides tools, templates and other resources for developing your asset management plan. Our systems know if you are attached to a financial NAMS.PLUS subscribing organisation when you go to register online. See http://www.ipwea.org/namsplus for further details.
Q: What if my organisation is not a NAMS.PLUS subscribing organisation - can I still enrol for the Professional Certificate?
A:

IPWEA has introduced a free NAMS.PLUS trial limited subscription for individuals enrolling for the IPWEA Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning so that they can seek to gain the qualification where their organisation is not a NAMS.PLUS subscriber.

This trial subscription is on a time-limited basis(approx. 4 months)for the duration of the Course only. Many functions have been disabled but sufficient access to NAMS.PLUS tools & resources is provided for completing the course.Data uploaded to the NAMS.PLUS 'trial' portal will be viewable by other trial offer users as a common portal is used (subscribing organisations have their own area of the portal).

NAMS.PLUS tools & resources made available as part of the trial subscription are strictly for COURSE USE ONLY. Candidates are required to agree thatDraft Asset Management Plans completed during the Course, NAMS.PLUS tools, templates and other resources made available to complete the Course must not be used for any other purpose beyond the Course. A NAMS.PLUS subscription is required to be taken out to activate use beyond the sole personal purpose of completing the Course.Employer organisations (e.g., local government) and Consultants cannot make use of the draft plan or other NAMS.PLUS resources without becoming a NAMS.PLUS subscribing organisation (asset-owning publicorganisations)or (for Consultants) their clientis a NAMS.PLUS subscribing organisation.

Candidates are required to take reasonable steps to ensure that NAMS.PLUS resources are not used beyond their personal purpose of completing the Course.

Application for a limited trial subscription should be made by email to admin@ipwea.org with reasons for seeking the trial subscription. Include a completed and signed AGREEMENT FORMcommittingto the above terms &conditions.
Q: Is it possible for Consultants to subscribe to NAMS.PLUS?
A: Consultants can't subscribe to the full NAMS.PLUS program. Your asset owning clients need to subscribe. The benefit of a Consultant doing the course is so that you can then use our tools and templates for NAMS.PLUS subscribing organisations. We can provide Consultants with a free limited trial subscription to NAMS.PLUS for the purpose of the course.
Q: If you don’t work directly for Council, but work as a Consultant to the Council, can you still register for the Certificate in Asset Management Planning?
A: If a consultant wishes to register they need to be affiliated "sponsored" with a client NAMS.PLUS subscribing organisation. A letter authorising the consultant to have access to the organisations NAMS.PLUS log in is required from the subscribing organisation.

Yes, you can register as Consultants, however, prior to registration, each individual will need to complete and sign a Consultancy Agreement and have a Council authorisation form completed by the Council that you are undertaking consultancy work for. Email admin@ipwea.org to obtain these forms.
Q: In order to register for the Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning, can organisations subscribe to NAMS.PLUS now?
A: Yes, Councils can subscribe to NAMS.PLUS at any time during the year.Seehttp://www.ipwea.org/namsplusfor further details.
Q: Is IPWEA a Registered Training organisation (RTO)?
A: IPWEA NSW is a RTO but this course is not a RTO accredited course. It is a short course with professional certification from IPWEA. The course is however widely recognised by employers as a quality practical hands-on course and IPWEA qualification.
Q: Can participants gain access to any higher education fee assistance scheme (HECS etc)?
A: No, participants cannot gain access to HECS as this is an IPWEA course, not a higher education course.
Q: Is the IPWEA Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning equivalent to a TAFE Cert 4 or higher or a post graduate certificate?
A: No. This is an IPWEA practitioner based short course. It is however worth CPD hours with Engineers Australia.
Q: Can people from Overseas only watch the recorded sessions because of the different time zones?
A: Recorded sessions can be viewed twice at any time before the end of course. The course is relevant for overseas applications. If there is sufficient demand, live events may be scheduled in more suitable time zones. However, it is possible to complete the course by just viewing the recordings.

In a recent course, candidates from Canada participated in the Live Events as these were live in the early evening in their local time zone.
Q: Considering the end goal is to draft an Asset Management Plan, can people work collaboratively on the assignments?
A: The participation in the live interactive events can only be by one person in the organisation per registration. The Professional Certificate will only be given to candidates who have registered and successfully the course. There can be collaboration but each person must actively participate in live sessions and all work. All online work, discussions and Q&A’s should be the individual's own work. It is important that we can record your progress and have guarantees that you are participating in the course.
Q: What is difference between the Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning and the previous 3 day NAMS.PLUS workshop?
A: The new interactive webinar series of the Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning will cover all areas of the NAMS.PLUS face-to-face workshops in a new delivery platform. In addition, it will include progressive online course assessment and guidance to assist in ensuring that the participants can develop a completed draft infrastructure AMP at the end of the course. The spaced out timing between modules will give participants the opportunity to collect necessary data for the respective exercises and complete these in a more meaningful way. It will enable those who can’t make it to a face to face workshop to develop the skills for asset management planning and using NAMS.PLUS tools and resources.
Q: Is there any Group Discount for the IPWEA Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning?
A: 20% group discounts are available if you are registering more than 6+ people from the same organisation. Enquire at admin@ipwea.org or tel. +612 8267 3003.
Q: Will the Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning be offered again in the future?
A: Yes, we plan to run the course again in the future. It is expected that we will run it again in the first half of next year (2015)
Q: How much time would be required or recommended to complete the course?
A:

The number of hours required to complete the certificate (8 modules over 11 weeks plus time at the end of the course to submit your completed AM Plan as part of assessment) has been estimated as:

  • 8 x 90 minute webinars (live event or recording) per module
  • 2 hours of assessment activities per module
  • 5 hours to complete Assignment 1 (module 4)
  • 20 hours to complete Assignment 2 (module 8)

    Total estimated 50 – 60 hours (depending on available data, previousexperience, etc)
This includes sourcing asset register data, participating in the Cahoot discussion forum, answering multiple choice questions, working with the templates, downloading graphs, and developing up the draft asset management plan. The time taken will also depend on previous knowledge and experience, ready access to data and other factors.
Q: Does this course cover the new standards (ISO 55000) or the conventional IIMM? (NAMS supplement guide to IIMM 2011 on meeting ISO requirements)
A: This content of this course is based on both the new Standards and also the IIMM Supplement. There is a good alignment between the ISO and the IIMM. There is a lot of common content but they are structured quite differently. ISO 55001 follows the standard ISO structure for management systems standards and works from the more strategic to operational requirements. It is the ‘what to do’ of asset management.

The IIMM (an IPWEA publication) is a ‘how to’ guide and is intended to take the user through the logical steps of defining AM requirements (section 2) and then developing AM strategies to meet these requirements across the asset lifecycle (section 3), all of which is supported by AM enablers (section 4). The IIMM provides comprehensive guidance across all of the ISO standard requirements.

Our online IPWEA Professional Certificate in AM Planning is based on the IIMM approach but makes reference and is compatible with the requirements of the new ISO Standards.
Q: Is the ownership of NAMS.PLUS with IPWEA? Will NAMS.PLUS be on-going?
A: The copyright and ownership of NAMS.PLUS is with IPWEA. As we are a relatively small professional organisation, we engage JRA Consultants to provide back end and training support for IPWEA. It is important that IPWEA’s IP in the Excel spreadsheets and other NAMS.PLUS resources are protected. Hence they are contained within secured documents. Final analysis is undertaken by lodging the spreadsheet data for analysis to our website and NAMS.PLUS portal. All data submitted to the NAMS.PLUS for uploading is retained by the submitting organisation in the form of the spreadsheet, so organisations retain their own data. IPWEA has been operating and supporting NAMS.PLUS for several years (since around 2007). Importantly however, NAMS.PLUS is provided by IPWEA as a prominent and professional member association. IPWEA first started in NSW over 100 years ago. We are definitely here for the long term.
Q: Is NAMS.PLUS suitable for different needs?
A: NAMS.PLUS tools & resources are particularly relevant to local government infrastructure assets but also other owners of physical infrastructure assets.

NAMS.PLUS has been used by over 80 municipalities in Canada demonstrating the application in other countries. Queensland TMR (State Road authority) has used our NAMS.PLUS courses to provide training to enhance skills development in the principles of asset management planning to their staff. IPWEA has also delivered in-house courses. BART, the light rail system in San Francisco, is also a NAMS.PLUS subscriber. We are also introducing the US Federal Highways (FHWA) Asset Management Expert Task Group to the concepts of stewardship and long term financial plans.

So the principles of our work are transferable to different situations beyond local government. Our tools are particularly suitable to road, drainage, water, sewerage and other networks, parks assets, buildings, recreation and other facilities but are applicable to all physical infrastructure assets.
Q: Is the course structure weighted towards developing AM skills or towards use of the NAMS.PLUS templates and tools?
A: The course is aimed at developing skills in people to develop a draft AM Plan. It is a practical example of AM Planning and uses the NAMS.PLUS tools and templates. The main purpose of the NAMS.PLUS templates and modelling is to enable people to develop their AM Plans in a short time. All the information required is in and consistent with the International Infrastructure Management Manual (IIMM). The NAMS.PLUS tools make drafting an Asset Management Plan much faster as there is no need to develop the templates and modelling from scratch. People can do the work themselves in a few months if they wish rather than use our templates, but we find our tools, templates and other resources give a good start.
Q: Why NAMS.PLUS is better than other Systems?
A: The great advantage about NAMS.PLUS and the ongoing subscription is that once you have developed an asset management plan it doesn’t stop there. NAMS.PLUS allows you to review, refine and update AMPs as often as required. There is no limit to how many data sets can be put in for modelling for subscribers. When organisations adopt the process where the AMPs feed into their Long Term Financial Plans which in turn drive the budget, annual updates of the AMPs will be very straight forward using NAMS.PLUS.
Q: The certificate has already started, am I still able to register?
A: Yes you can. We accept registrations a few weeks after the certificate begins, however you will be required to watch the modules and catch up in accordance with course requirements. The live sessions are recorded to assist you.



For further information visit Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning