ESC Certification

Registered Soil Practitioner – Erosion and Sediment Control (RSP-ESC)

About the program

An Erosion and Sediment Control Certification Program is in development, to provide an industry-wide approach to providing assurance to practitioners and industry in Australia and in New Zealand.

The name of the certification program is the Registered Soil Practitioner – Erosion and Sediment Control (RSP-ESC) accreditation.

The Australasian International Erosion Control Association (IECA Australasia) entered into an Agreement with Soil Science Australia (SSA) to develop the program in October 2023 (at the IECA Conference in Noosa).

The RSP-ESC accreditation is being designed as a component of Soil Science Australia’s (SSA) Registered Soil Practitioner (RSP) program.

Who it is for and what it will do.

RSP-ESC is being designed for environmental managers, engineers, soil scientists, natural resource managers, regulators and other soil professionals who develop and implement erosion and sediment control plans.

The accreditation is designed to ensure construction and mining managers—as well as local, state and federal governments in both Australia and New Zealand—have confidence that a Registered Soil Practitioner has been trained to develop and apply erosion and sediment control standards in line with contemporary best practice.

The accreditation will provide assurance that the appropriate principles are being applied when managing construction, mining, forestry and remediating disturbed sites during construction and decommissioning.

Development of the Program

Development of the RSP-ESC is guided by a Task Force, made up of 11 members representing IECA Australasia and SSA.

The RSP-ESC Task Force includes representation from Australia and NZ. 

IECA Australasia and SSA both provide administrative support to the Task Force.

Members of the Task Force first met in December 2023 and continue to meet monthly to progress the program.

About the Task Force

Members have agreed to a Task Force Terms of Reference, which covers the following: the purpose and membership of the Task Force, the scope and mechanics of the accreditation, frequency of meetings and term/tenure for members, roles and responsibilities.

The Task Force is currently finalising the syllabus for the RSP-ESC accreditation and continues to provide answers to frequently asked questions.

Members of the Task Force have agreed to a code of ethics to ensure confidentiality and due diligence.

The RSP-ESC Task Force is considering the mechanics of implementation as part of the development of the accreditation.

For example, the Task Force will be considering whether people accredited in other related accreditations may be eligible for recognition of prior learning under the RSP-ESC accreditation.

The RSP program was initially developed for Australian-based participants. The intent is to have the RSP-ESC accreditation recognised in Australia and New Zealand, given IECA Australasia no longer administers the Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) accreditation

All enquiries relating specifically to CPESC should be directed to EnviroCert International.

Training towards the RSP-ESC will be delivered by external IECA Australasia and SSA-approved providers under Australian and New Zealand national training standards, which are managed by SSA.

Further information

Further information will be made available on respective websites, for members of SSA and IECA Australasia.

Enquiries can be directed to:

IECA Australasia: admin@austieca.com.au  

Soil Science Australia: office@soilscienceaustralia.org.au

If you are interested in receiving updates on development of the RSP-ESC, please express your interest here: www.soilscienceaustralia.org.au/rsp/contact/