Description

This qualification covers the skills and knowledge required to conduct environmental sampling, testing and monitoring in a variety of industry sectors.

Job roles/employment outcomes
The MSS40211 Certificate IV in Environmental Monitoring and Technology provides technical training across a range of industry sectors, such as:
environmental monitoring, sampling and field testing (e.g. air, water, soil and rocks)
geotechnical services
natural resource management
water supply and treatment, storm and wastewater management
solid and hazardous waste management.

Job roles targeted by this qualification include environmental assistants, environmental technicians and similar personnel employed by enterprises and Commonwealth, state/territory/local governments in the sectors listed above. Many of these employees are engaged in the monitoring of environmental impacts at industrial sites. They operate monitoring equipment, collect samples and conduct tests both in the field and at site laboratories. Other employees may collect a range of field data relating to the suitability of land and water use and process and present this data using geographical information systems (GIS) software.

In broad terms, they may:
plan and conduct site sampling, field testing and measurements (e.g. meteorological)
plan field work, arrange access to sites, logistics, equipment and supplies
assemble, test, pack and transport equipment and supplies
navigate using maps and global positioning systems (GPS)
collect, process and present spatial/attribute data using GPS and GIS
conduct field surveys of flora, fauna, water and soils
calibrate and operate a wide variety of field-based instrumentation
troubleshoot, repair, maintain and adapt instrumentation
log and process data using a variety of computer hardware and software
interpret data to identify significant anomalies and trends
report results and make logical conclusions
define and solve problems of limited complexity where the information available is less obvious, but not contradictory, and can be determined by direct reasoning
work under the direction and regular supervision of environmental officers, environmental site coordinators, site managers, or environmental scientists, engineers and planners
work in a team and may have responsibility for their own work outputs.

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

This qualification recognises that the industry sectors listed above employ environmental assistants and technicians who have broad technical knowledge and skills in the area of environmental sampling and testing and some understanding of the industry processes and/or ecosystems that they are working with. These personnel do not have the more substantial knowledge of environmental monitoring; complex instrumentation; data analysis; environmental impacts and the strategies for minimising these impacts; and remediation/rehabilitation of sites, that is provided by the MSS50211 Diploma of Environmental Monitoring and Technology for environmental officers.

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.