So I just had a conversation with a guy from Australia who is BUYING A SHOP, but Scubapro won't let him attend a manufacturer's certification class until he's serviced 100 regulators. Pretty interesting, compared to the US of A, where 1/3 of the participants at every Level I Scubapro seminar have never opened a reg!
So that says, "Wow! Oz has pretty high standards for their technicians!" Maybe not a bad thing!
But since that's a Catch-22 for him, Scubapro has a workaround: he can attend TQS Lvl 1 training and skip the 100-reg requirement!
What's TQS Lvl 1?
A proprietary 8-10 day course covering fill panel, insurance, reg servicing, tank valves and HazMat for AU$4,500!!!
Now decades ago, I paid Rudy Mola a small fraction of that to teach me to service gear and certify on tank vis and Hazmat while I spent a week at his shop. But that was only because I was interested. Evidently, (and I'm working off hearsay), TQS is the only game in town for Australians if they want the Golden Ticket of a Scubapro cert.
$4,500??
Pretty uninformative website.
It's not often the the US has one up on the Aussies. This is tragic. Good intentions, but $4,500 for a shop tech?! That's a racket. Makes my little seminar look like a bargain.
So that says, "Wow! Oz has pretty high standards for their technicians!" Maybe not a bad thing!
But since that's a Catch-22 for him, Scubapro has a workaround: he can attend TQS Lvl 1 training and skip the 100-reg requirement!
What's TQS Lvl 1?
A proprietary 8-10 day course covering fill panel, insurance, reg servicing, tank valves and HazMat for AU$4,500!!!
Now decades ago, I paid Rudy Mola a small fraction of that to teach me to service gear and certify on tank vis and Hazmat while I spent a week at his shop. But that was only because I was interested. Evidently, (and I'm working off hearsay), TQS is the only game in town for Australians if they want the Golden Ticket of a Scubapro cert.
$4,500??
Pretty uninformative website.
Technicians Qualification System - All About Scuba
Technicians Qualification system is an internationally recognised training agency for S.C.U.B.A retailers, staff and individuals. We provide a high standard of education on equipment servicing and servicing particular brands of S.C.U.B.A diving equipement. Located in Melbourne, Sydney, Thailand...
allaboutscuba.com.au
It's not often the the US has one up on the Aussies. This is tragic. Good intentions, but $4,500 for a shop tech?! That's a racket. Makes my little seminar look like a bargain.