A Verification of Competency is an assessment of a person’s knowledge and skills. The process assists employers with meeting their Workplace Health & Safety (WH&S) obligations to deem staff competent to perform a task or operate plant and/or equipment.
Australian industry regulations require employers and persons conducting a business undertaking a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) to ensure their workers can clearly demonstrate their ability to perform the tasks related to their job role when plant is used. The use of a VOC is one way of ensuring this happens.
VOC’s are undertaken on persons who already hold a current ticket, licence, or unit of competency, to verify that they are still competent to that standard. Participants who undertake a VOC must provide evidence of their existing competency. The outcome of the VOC process is a Statement which references the activities or tasks verified, and/or the plant and equipment verified. It does not satisfy the requirements for the issuance of a nationally accredited unit of competency.
Any person deemed not yet competent will be offered the opportunity to undertake refresher training and undertake another VOC assessment after they pass the refresher training (which may attract an additional cost).
The VOC training process encompasses a short written (or oral) assessment of the critical knowledge components of the activity AND direct observation of practical applications of the activities.
