The Canadian Pipeline Competency System (CPCS) provides an industry consensus-based set of requirements (i.e., theoretical knowledge, experience, expertise) for the technical functions associated with the lifecycle of a pipeline system.

WHAT IS COMPETENCY?

Competency can be considered as having three components, described in Figure 1:

THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE	EXPERIENCE	EXPERTISE
What does an individual know?	Does the individual apply their knowledge to real world situations?	How does the individual apply their knowledge and experience in a broad range of scenarios?

Figure 1: Defining Competency

CPCS OVERVIEW:

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Figure 3: Components of CPCS

HOW CAN CPCS BE USED?

Applications of CPCS are described in Figure 4:

		INDIVIDUALS
Career Planning	Demonstration of Current Competency	Establishing Current Development Goals	Future Development Goals	Tailored Job Applications

		ORGANIZATIONS
Succession Planning for Technical Roles	Demonstration of Meeting Regulatory Requirements	Clear Role Descriptions	Individual or Group Competency Assessment	Project Team Structure

Figure 4: Application of CPCS

A FOCUS ON DAMAGE PREVENTION

Within the CPCS, a subset of competencies focused on prevention of damage to buried infrastructure is available. Aligned with regulations across multiple jurisdictions, the system provides the structure for a holistic damage prevention program that goes beyond the immediate field-based activities, to include areas such as public awareness efforts, which are essential for safety and effectiveness.