Pivodel partnership poised to build Australia's next generation of Digital Engineers

To help meet that challenge, TAFE Queensland has partnered with digital engineering specialists Pivodel to deliver the nationally recognised Advanced Diploma of Digital Engineering (11343NAT).

This qualification is designed to equip professionals in design, construction, and asset management with the skills needed to lead digital transformation across the built environment.

The partnership combines TAFE Queensland's expertise in delivering industry-aligned training with Pivodel's extensive experience working on major infrastructure projects across Australia.

For Pivodel Director Rishi Jobanputra, the qualification was born from a gap he and fellow Director Bryan Tay had witnessed firsthand throughout their careers.

While digital engineering has become increasingly important across major construction projects, much of the existing training available focuses on individual software platforms rather than the broader engineering principles that underpin successful project delivery. 

Digital engineering bridges traditional engineering practices with modern, data-driven technologies. 

By ensuring accurate, reliable, and accessible project information, Digital Engineers improve collaboration, reduce risk, optimise workflows, and support better decision-making throughout an asset's lifecycle.

Recognising the growing demand for these skills, TAFE Queensland and Pivodel set out to create Australia's first nationally recognised qualification in Digital Engineering, designed to develop capable practitioners rather than simply software users.

"A lot of the training content that's available right now is driven by software. It all focuses on who can produce the best model and whether you can do clash detection, when that isn't really its purpose," Rishi said. 

"If you understand the engineering principles behind what you're doing, you can make better decisions, solve problems more effectively and deliver better outcomes for projects."

Designed for experienced professionals working in engineering, design, construction, infrastructure and asset management, the Advanced Diploma develops capability across project governance, quality assurance, Building Information Modelling (BIM), design coordination, digital information management, and lifecycle asset delivery.

Students learn how to manage digital engineering requirements, coordinate digital models, establish interoperable workflows, support asset data outcomes, and contribute to collaborative project delivery across all stages of the asset lifecycle. 

Bryan said technology should be viewed as an enabler, not the destination. 

"Technology is the tool that helps drive efficiency. We are designing the course around how to use that technology effectively. Most importantly, it is software agnostic. We want to draw people back to the purpose," he said.

The qualification has also been designed around real-world project delivery, with students completing assessments that mirror workplace scenarios and challenges.

"The course has been developed and founded on real-world applications and scenarios," Bryan said.

"The assessments are based on a real-world simulated project, so students gain the same experiences they would encounter while delivering a live project." 

Students are required to engage with project stakeholders, solve practical problems, and demonstrate competency through authentic workplace tasks, ensuring graduates are ready to apply their skills immediately in industry.

Importantly, the two-year qualification is delivered 100 per cent online, combining a fortnightly 1.5-hour online session with approximately 10 - 20 hours of self-directed learning each week. 

This flexible format allows professionals from Australia and overseas to build advanced digital engineering capability while continuing to work and immediately apply their learning in the workplace.

For Bryan and Rishi, the qualification represents more than a new training opportunity. It is part of a broader vision to strengthen digital capability across the industry and create greater confidence in how engineering information is created, shared, and used. 

"We would like to see an industry that has that level of baseline understanding and more consistently applies these concepts across the broader industry," Bryan said.

As technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation and digital twins continue to reshape the sector, the pair believe education will play a critical role in helping industry adapt.

"AI is not going to take over everyone's job. It's going to make you better at your job and give you the ability to solve problems that you probably couldn't before," Rishi concluded.