Australian Diver Accreditation Scheme
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ADAS Overview
ADAS stands for the Australian Diver Accreditation Scheme. Through its international status, world class training standards and mutual recognition arrangements with other equivalent national schemes, ADAS qualifications have global recognition and acceptance.
ADAS-certified personnel are employed around the world – in Africa, Antarctica, Canada, China, Russia, South America, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, the USA – the list goes on and ADAS divers are out there getting down and dirty.
ADAS is, however, far more than just an energetic, active and preeminent occupational diver certification scheme. ADAS also proudly lays claim to being at the forefront in terms of providing extensive support to its divers and other certification holders.
ADAS actively works towards improving the conditions and safety of its certificate holders. We meet and communicate regularly with the industry’s peak bodies and regulators from around the world to review and enhance diving and diving–related training and assessment standards and to improve the global portability and recognition of diver qualifications.
We are energetically working to improve our own training and certification programs to make them more relevant to the related industry sectors. We are constantly looking for ways to make our training more accessible to our trainees through the utilisation of new technological developments. In the process, we aim to offer access to all divers and interested parties to up-to-date revision and extension materials through our new distance learning arrangements. We want to make this information available to all and to do our bit to improve the professionalism of the industry.
The History of ADAS diving
ADAS originated as the Australian and New Zealand (NZ) national occupational diver certification scheme. It was developed by the Australian federal government as a not-for-profit accreditation and certification scheme operating at the level of world best practice. It is currently administered on a cost-recovery basis by the ADAS Board under the direction of the federal government Department of Industry.
ADAS delivers its training through Accredited Training Establishments (ATEs) who must meet stringent entry conditions and demonstrate ongoing compliance with robust administrative, operational, training and assessment standards to achieve and maintain accreditation.
National Vocational Alignment
ADAS is also aligned with the national vocational education and training framework. Its courses are accredited under the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) as a nationally Registered Training Organisation (RTO). This adds another layer to the ADAS quality management arrangements and improves the Scheme’s credibility through the ASQA external audit process and the awarding of educational credits.
ADAS Mission
The ADAS mission is to provide international accreditation for hyperbaric workers.
ADAS Scope
ADAS is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to enhancing the occupational diving industry. Our service extends not only to occupational divers but also to personnel in associated technical and support roles and to ADAS-accredited ATEs and industry stakeholders and encompasses:
- the development of training courses to meet industry needs
- the certification of divers
- the accreditation of ATEs
- ongoing national and international lobbying for the improved safety of divers
- active engagement in international forums to promote the mobility of ADAS licence holders around the world through increased recognition and acceptance of the ADAS licence
ADAS is at the forefront of international occupational diving and hyperbaric course development and training and assessment. ADAS currently offers qualifications covering the onshore and offshore industries, the scientific sector, the aquaculture industry and police, military and navy diving.
The scope of ADAS courses is expanding to embrace emerging markets and to extend the range of job and career opportunities available to ADAS qualified personnel. In addition to courses for occupational divers and supervisors, ADAS has defined its scope of activities to include all hyperbaric operations including accredited courses for Atmospheric Diving System piloting, Remotely Operated Vehicle operations, Life Support Technicians, Diver Medical Technicians, Hyperbaric Tunneling and Lock Operators.
Quality of Service
ADAS aims for excellence in all its operations, striving to perform beyond mere compliance with government requirements and the national standards upon which its training and assessment is based.
ADAS fosters an attitude of continuous improvement within the organisation and its service providers, and adopts a systematic approach to embedding quality across all of its training and assessment systems.
Insistence on quality is applied consistently across all ADAS ATEs. These organisations undergo annual onsite inspections and regular desktop audits to ensure they are delivering to the quality standards and training and assessment requirements set by ADAS.
ADAS is audited on a regular basis by the national Vocational Education and Training registering body (ASQA), and by the Federal Government to ensure the requirements of relevant standards and legislation are met.
Organizational Structure
ADAS operates as a not-for-profit incorporated association on a cost-recovery basis. ADAS receives no ongoing government funding and has no paying members or shareholders. It relies on certification fees to cover operational expenses. Any operational surplus generated is invested directly back into activities that support the occupational diving industry in Australia and the portability of the ADAS licence internationally..
As noted above, the Scheme, particularly in relation to offshore oil and gas activities, operates under the general direction of the Federal Government Department of Industry. The ADAS Board acts in a policy governance role and the day-to-day administration and operations are undertaken by an Executive Director.
Governance Arrangements
The ADAS Board is comprised of independent non-executive Directors from various sectors of the occupational diving industry, each offering particular expertise and industry experience to the Board. These Directors are independent of management and free from any business relationship or other circumstance that could materially interfere with their exercise of objective, unfettered or independent judgement. The Board Directors perform their duties on a strictly voluntary basis.
The Board’s role is fundamentally to create and deliver value through the effective governance of the organisation and its nominee members also undertake to act as a conduit between their organisations and ADAS.
