ESI Skills Passport
Electrical Supply Industry (ESI) workers are in high demand now more than ever. Movements of these workers between entities and their agents (contractors) has increasingly become a time consuming process of continually recognising / mapping / tracking their individual qualifications, certifications, endorsements, licences and tickets for the purpose of accessing ESI assets.
The ESI Passport is facilitated through the following website:
http://www.esipassport.com.au
A database has been developed in consultation with Energy Skills Queensland and will record the issue of all ESI Passports in Australia and will generate a unique number linking each person to their Passport.
The ESI Skills Passport has three primary objectives:
- Objective 1: ENA Passport Electronic Register
- Objective 2: Electronic ESI Skills Passport Database
- Objective 3: Portable Passport Solution
Objective 1: ENA Passport Electronic Register
Energy Networks Association (ENA) have established a paper based solution for the record keeping of ESI workers as documented in the ‘Network Passport Guidelines ENA DOC 013-2006’ available from Standards Australia. Objective 1 of the ESQ ESI Skills Passport aims to provide a central electronic repository for the storage of primary information of ESI workers. Generic information such as passport number, name, etc is to be included in this register. The register will be utilised by all users of the ENA Network Passport and ensure that issued passports will have portability between entities and their agents for primary information.
Implementation of this facet of the total solution ensures ESI workers can be identified nationally through a single framework.
Objective 2: Electronic ESI Skills Passport Database
The ENA Network Passport as defined by the guideline and continual development by the ENA Industry Skills & Training Reference Group, includes several additional datasets to the outcomes of Objective 1. Objective 2 of the ESQ ESI Skills Passport aims to add further value by a further extension to the database to include additional information to assist ESI entities and their agents in determining suitability of workers for access to ESI assets. This database will allow accurate and current information to be accessed via a web enabled interface 24/7. In achieving this outcome a full mapping of like competencies, courses and some authorisations has been conducted to allow for portability of ESI workers between entities and associated agents.
Objective 3: Portable Passport Solution
With the challenges of having accurate and timely data replication in remote areas of the state of Queensland, a solution in addition to the database has been identified as highly desirable. Objective 3 of the ESQ ESI Skills Passport aims to provide a solution to allow ESI workers to have appropriate information available on their person 24/7 by ways of technology support such as a smart card that can have data available asynchronously when in locations that do not allow access to the internet. Business processes will have to be developed and implemented to ensure that data on these solutions are updated with a frequency acceptable to all stakeholders.
Benefits
Several key benefits have been identified as adding value to the industry of which, some have been listed below. It is important to note that the outcomes of this project are being conducted in conjunction with the ENA Passport for the benefit of ESI workers, network operators, entities and their agents nationally.
- ‘Portability without pain’
- Strengthen the ‘safety case’ approach to energy safety regulation.
- Will allow industry at the initial entry stage to undertake a census of all employees.
- Better understanding of resources working in the energy industry.
- Development and maintenance of nationally consistent refresher training standards.
- Encourage individuals to be responsible for ensuring the currency and validity of their authorisations and competencies.
- Record the currency of competence to work on a network.
- Transportability of individuals’ competencies and authorisations between entities.
- Move towards Nationally consistent ESI training, skills, competencies and authorisations practices.