APIA Project Manager Chris Harvey says “APIA is seeking to build on the development of the APIA Pipeline Engineering Competency Standards, which was completed during 2010, in a variety of ways.

"One important way is working with training providers to develop courses that ‘scratch where the industry is itching’. This means identifying where the gaps in engineering competency are for the industry, and its priorities for training, so that new courses are meeting these needs.”

However, Mr Harvey points out “The courses that are developed will only be the right ones if APIA and the training providers can obtain good information about what the industry needs.”

Mr Harvey says that the key is to get a high response rate to the survey. He says he recognises that there is a lot going on in the industry and that completing surveys will require a time investment from engineering or human resources managers, but that it will be worth it.

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“The survey is not short and requires consideration and thought, so we are looking for managers to take the time to provide reliable information that we can work with,” he said.

The survey will commence during and following the APIA Convention, so that APIA can readily bring it to members’ attention. Mr Harvey expects the survey to be complete at the end of November.

“Once we have the results, a reference group of training providers will begin to analyse them to begin a process of adding to the course base available to the industry,” says Mr Harvey. “It may take a little while for the new courses to be seen, as training providers will then have to consider investments in new courses and the possible use of new training vehicles such as e-learning and distance education.”

APIA members and other relevant organisations will be contacted about completing the survey by email after the Convention. “If any organisation wants to participate and doesn’t think it has been contacted, they should contact me via the APIA office in Canberra,” says Mr Harvey.

“We are aiming to develop access to a range of courses that mean organisations and individuals wanting to develop their capability can do so with a maximum of ease. This will mean that the emerging gaps in pipeline engineering expertise will be filled and a strong industry capability be maintained into the future.”