Rivers Unit meets nearly every Thursday night, starting PROMPTLY at 7pm. We start with Unit/ SES Admin and then proceed with the night’s training exercise/s.  Each week a different Unit member is responsible for running a training activity for the Unit.

Our training is overseen by a Unit Training Coordinator, who provides both direction and structure to our training program.  We aim to keep our training both challenging and fun, with as diverse and practical a basis as possible.  Nearly all of our training has a competency based focus, with most of our Unit members having how achieved a number of nationally recognised competencies.

Some of the SES skill areas/ competencies in which we train include:

· General rescue (GR itself has a huge scope)

· Storm and Water Damage

· Land Searching (including forensic, missing person, deceased person)

· First Aid & Casualty Handling

· Leadership and team work

· Communications (digital radio, verbal)

· Mass casualty events

· Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) – basic level

· Lateral thinking

· Scene control

· 4WDing/ Driving Under Operational Conditions

· Navigation

Rivers Unit members may also be able undertake other specialist training such as:

· Air observing (run by AMSA)

· Chainsaw – both trim and cross cut and felling

· Australasian Inter-service Incident Management System  (AIIMS)

· Team Leadership (run by NSW SES)

· Traffic Marshalling (run by the AFP)

· First Aid (NSWSES course)

For courses that are in high demand, each applicant’s commitment to SES and their attendance record will be considered in prioritising application.

Start training at 7pm promptly every Thursday night. 

Unit is one of the smaller SES Units in the ACT, but what we lack in numbers we make up for with a great spirit, team work and comraderie!

Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Australia, is directed at a national level and is supported by the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).   Check out www.training.com.au to see more about VET in Australia.

The idea of VET, AQF and nationally recognised training is that there is one national approach to adult training in Australia, rather than having 8 or more different approaches.  It means that everybody in Australia (or the bulk of training organisations and Government Departments at least) is singing from the same sheet of music, which has a lot of benefits!  It means that everybody who adopts the AQF follows the same methodology and follows the same steps in training and assessment.  And if the training that you undertake is nationally recognised, it makes your training, skills and qualifications that much more valuable.

Most of the training undertaken by Rivers Unit is ‘competency-based’ and is nationally recognised.  We get trained and assessed most by ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA, which is our Registered Training Organisation (RTO. More information on ESA as an RTO can be found below.  This means we get trained in a particular skill or skill set, and we are assessed by qualified Workplace Assessors. If we are found to be ‘competent’, we achieve a competency or competencies. Once an individual has enough of the right competencies, they can achieve a qualification.

About the National Training Information Service

There is a wealth of information on nationally recognised training available on-line. The prime source, is the National Training Information Service (NTIS) http://www.ntis.gov.au/. This site is a veritable gold mine of information on RTO (including training scope), units of competency, qualifications, training packages and industry skills councils to name but a few.

ACTESA – Registered Training Organisation

The ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA) is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and its RTO No. is 88091. Details of this RTO, as well as qualifications and accredited courses in its scope can be found at http://www.ntis.gov.au/Default.aspx?/rto/88091.

About ACTSES Training

The main training package that the ACT SES uses is the Public Safety Training Package (PSTP).

·         Public Safety Training Package:

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ACT SES members may also hold SES-related competencies and qualifications from some other packages, including:

·         Forests and Forests Products Training Package

·         Business Services Training Package

·         Health Training Package

Outdoor Recreation Industry Training Package