The REG Competency Project delivers a comprehensive framework and assessment process to provide a clear, consistent, sector-wide definition of the skills and experience required for transport activities and roles from planning through to delivery and the means to measure it. Together, the competency framework and accompanying assessment tool (to be developed) will help identify skills gaps, workforce planning and training needs, and support career development to ensure the transport sector can effectively support New Zealand's future while delivering better value and improved outcomes.
Project objectives
Through its design and implementation, the objectives of the project are to:
- measure competency and capacity: to facilitate meaningful benchmarking and comparison of individual skills and experience across the sector over time, and to assess sector capacity to understand the impact of change and the value of training programmes in making a difference.
- identify competency and capacity gaps: to identify gaps in both competency and capacity and support informed decisions on workforce development, training needs and resourcing to meet current and future demands.
- support improvement in sector capability: to develop and implement a comprehensive competency framework to create a common, consistent, sector-wide definition of the skills and experience required for road transport activities and roles.
- support career development: to support a culture of continuous improvement ─ helping to identify skill gaps and professional development opportunities within the transport sector to encourage long-term retention, enhance competency building, career advancement, and support workforce capability.
The framework
Asset management is the first domain to be developed, providing the foundation for other technical and non-technical domains that will be added over time, progressively expanding the framework to cover the full breadth and depth of transport-related role capabilities.
The REG Competency Framework: Asset Management Domain describes the asset management system and defines capabilities required for all asset management activities, aligned with the following international standards:
- ISO 55001: 2024 Asset Management – Management Systems standard
- Global Forum on Maintenance and Asset Management (GFMAM) Landscape v3 (2024)
The development process for this content built upon the existing REG Asset Management Competency Framework released in 2019, incorporating lessons learned and evolving industry practices.
Benefits
The framework delivers practical benefits across government agencies, councils, contractors, and consultancies—for teams of any, from graduate engineers to senior managers.
Career growth and development
- Identify required skills for current and target roles, including development blind spots and growth opportunities
- Inform targeted training and development to address skills gaps
- Enable knowledge transfer across roles and organisations, supporting continuity during staff transitions
Workforce planning and investment
- Assess current team capabilities and identify gaps for present and future project demands
- Compare organisational capabilities against similar teams, regions, or international standards while maintaining confidentiality
- Identify skill gaps ahead of staff departures and develop targeted succession planning strategies
Sector-wide understanding
- Track capability trends across regions and work types to inform strategic decision-making
- Provide data to support investment decisions in training and infrastructure that strengthen the sector
Shared competency metrics
- Establish consistent competency data across organisations
- Support objective, evidence-based performance and development conversations
- Demonstrate organisational readiness for projects and funding through documented capabilities and competency levels
Assessment tool
The REG Competency Assessment (currently being scoped) will enable individuals and organisations to understand level of competency against the capabilities relevant to a role or organisational function.
All assessment data will be aggregated and anonymised to protect individual privacy while enabling sector-wide insights and benchmarking.
Get involved
Support this initiative by:
- participating in industry workshops
- joining assessment pilot testing
- advocating for framework adoption within your organisation
Contact reg@nzta.govt.nz for more information.
Reference
Asset Management Competency Framework (2019) [PDF, 1.8 MB]
Global Forum on Maintenance and Asset Management(external link)
