Courses in Industrial Rope Access are under development and will be available sometime in 2024.

Please contact us with any interest – 0800 EARN IT or via our contact form.

Industrial Rope Access

Why become an industrial rope access specialist?

What do industrial rope access specialists do?

You’ll be setting up industrial rope access systems to work safely at height or in places with difficult access. There is a huge range of sectors that need people working in these areas, including building and construction, high-rise window cleaning, oil and gas, and more.

On any given day you could be:

Inspecting and maintaining height safety equipment

Setting up, altering, and dismantling industrial rope access systems
Using a safety harness for personal fall prevention when working at height
Using, installing, and taking down temporary height safety systems when working at height
Planning and preparing for basic industrial rope access work
Communicating information in a specified workplace
Listening actively to gain information in an interactive situation
Giving oral instructions in the workplace
Identifying and applying industrial rope access legislation

By the numbers

Length of training

Training to become an industrial rope access takes approximately 1-2 years.

Earnings

Qualified and experienced industrial rope specialists can enjoy starting pay rates of around $25 – $30 per hour. As your experience grows, so will your income.

Job outlook

The job outlook for industrial rope access specialists is good, especially once you’re experienced and hold a qualification.

Source: Infometrics

Industry training

As an industrial rope access trainee, you’ll be working, learning, and earning money at the same time. You’ll work closely with experienced people at your company to learn everything you need to become a qualified industrial rope access specialist.

During your training, you’ll learn the skills you need to become an industrial rope access specialist in two ways:

On-job learning

This is the practical learning side of your training. Someone at your company will teach you the tasks you’ll carry out in your day-to-day work, and you will be assessed on how well you can do these tasks.

Off-job learning

This is the theory learning side of your training, where you’ll be studying different topics throughout your training to support the skills you learn on the job.

A supervisor at your company will support you to check you are working correctly and safely.

Where can I go?

To become a qualified industrial rope access specialist, you need to first find an employer who will take you on as a trainee. You will gain nationally recognised training in industrial rope access.

Once you complete this programme, you will be able to work under limited supervision, doing basic rope access tasks on a range of rope access sites.

Want to go further? You can do more training and get qualified to Level 5 to increase your job prospects.

As your experience grows, so will your career opportunities. You can go on to senior or more specialised roles such as site technician or site supervisor, go into related fields such as rigging, or even start your own business.

Available Courses

There is a great qualification that is available in Industrial Rope Access. Click on the title below to read more about this qualification.

New Zealand Certificate in Industrial Rope Access (Level 3)

If you are interested in a career in industrial rope access, you can do the New Zealand Certificate in Industrial Rope Access (Level 3). This is the first step on the industrial rope access pathway and covers the basics of industrial rope access.

As a graduate of this programme, you will be capable of working under limited supervision doing basic rope access tasks on a range of rope access sites. You will attain basic on-rope vertical skills using constructed anchors. This includes the ability to conduct rope access work including inspecting and testing, maintenance and repair, cleaning and painting, geotechnical and construction activities. This programme is aligned to the IRAANZ Certificate of Competency for Level 3 Rope Access Operators.

To enrol in this course, you will need to:

be employed and engaged with work related to industrial rope access
have existing knowledge and skills in numeracy that includes/ exceeds what is covered in unit standard 8489; and
hold a current comprehensive workplace first aid certificate.

The New Zealand Certificate in Industrial Rope Access (Level 3) takes approximately six to ten months to complete and is done through block courses, on-the-job learning, and verification.

For more information or to enrol, please contact either

Tai Poutini Polytechnic on 0800 800 411, or visit www.tpp.ac.nz

Te Pūkenga on 0800 327 648 (0800 EARN IT) or email at info@earnlearn-tepukenga.ac.nz

*if you an experienced rigger, you may want to consider achieving this qualification through the recognition of prior learning. Click here for more information.

New Zealand Certificate in Industrial Rope Access (Level 4)

If you would like to grow your basic industrial rope access skills to an intermediary level, you can do the New Zealand Certificate in Industrial Rope Access (Level 4). This is the second step in the industrial rope access pathway.

As a graduate of the programme, you will have the skills to lead industrial rope access jobs.