For years, the Certificate III in Custom Electronics sat on the national register and looked, from a distance, like a pathway. Up close it had no registered training organisations delivering it and no students enrolled in it, and on those numbers alone a Jobs and Skills Council is obliged to remove a training product from the register. Two years on, that qualification has been rebuilt as the Certificate III in Systems Integration, joined by a Certificate IV and a set of skill sets designed for technicians who want to cross-skill without committing to a full qualification. In this episode, Christina Bradley of Powering Skills Organisation and Paul Vivian walk through how it happened, what is actually in it, and what has to occur before anyone can enrol. Christina explains why two people asking for a rebuild was not enough, and what changed her position: roughly 150 survey responses from industry, PSO's own workforce planning data, and an email from a person with a disability describing how many separate tradespeople they needed to retrofit their own home. Paul details the content rebuild, including a dedicated assistive technology stream he believes is the first of its kind anywhere, project management placed at the centre of the qualification rather than the edge, ethics around handling client information, cabler registration units imported from the ICT package rather than duplicated, and security and access control units. The draft goes up for initial industry feedback from late August, with formal consultation running December to March. In this episode Why the Certificate III in Custom Electronics was being removed from the national register, and how close it cameWhat Christina needed before PSO would commit, and why two industry figures asking was not enough on its ownHow the systems integration subject matter expert group was formed, and who sits at the tableWhat is now in the qualification: assistive technology, project management, ethics, IP distribution, data, fibre and coaxial cabling, CCTV, access control and security integrationWhy nobody can deliver this yet, and the ASQA requirements around trainer capability and currencyHow manufacturer training can be mapped to performance evidence, and what suppliers need to do to get involvedThe funding problem, jurisdictional funding lists, and the fee for service cost of a Certificate III without itWhat success looks like in year one, and why Christina wants no more than 50 studentsHow the training products have been future-proofed, and what can be changed without reopening the whole processThe consultation windows, the Integrate launch, and the 12 month runway Sponsors ADI is one of Australia's largest distributors of security, audio visual, smart home and low voltage products. Its branch network, online ordering and technical support give integrators access to the brands and stock that keep jobs moving. Find out more at adiglobal.com. Bluesound delivers high resolution wireless audio across multi-room systems, home theatre and streaming components, built on the BluOS platform. Distributed in Australia by Amber Technology, the range is designed for integrators who need reliable network audio that scales from a single room to a whole home. Learn more at ambertech.com.au/brands/bluesound. Somfy is a global manufacturer of motorisation and automation solutions for blinds, curtains, awnings, shutters and screens. With more than thirty years in Australia and New Zealand, Somfy supports integrators across residential and commercial projects with motors, controls and the TaHoma smart home hub. Learn more at somfy.com.au. Connected Magazine is Australia's trade publication for the custom installation and smart home industry. It covers the products, projects and people shaping residential and commercial integration across the country. Read it at connectedmag.com.au.
