BuildingPoint spoke with Pivodel directors Rishi Jobanputra and Bryan Tay ahead of the inaugural August intake of the Advanced Diploma of Digital Engineering (11343NAT), a nationally accredited qualification through Pivodel, and delivered in partnership with TAFE Queensland (RTO 0275).
As digital engineering becomes increasingly embedded in the delivery of construction projects, organisations are facing a growing challenge of finding professionals who know not only how to use technology, but how to apply it to deliver better project outcomes.
For digital engineering practitioners Rishi Jobanputra and Bryan Tay, that challenge extends beyond recruitment.
“Construction doesn’t just have a skills shortage. It has a capability shortage,” says Jobanputra. “Too much knowledge exists only in the heads of experienced people. We wanted to capture twenty years of industry experience and turn it into something that could be taught, assessed and applied on real projects.”
With its first intake commencing in August, the qualification aims to provide a more structured pathway into a profession that, until now, has often been learned by chance.
Digital engineering has evolved rapidly over the past decade, but the pathways into the profession have remained largely informal.
“Most digital engineers develop through luck,” says Tay. “They happen to work with the right mentor, on the right project, at the right time. We wanted to remove luck from the equation.”
For many practitioners, developing digital engineering capability has meant piecing together knowledge from individual projects, different managers and specialised colleagues.
“Learning was almost always informal,” Tay explains. “The problem was the fragmented exposure you get.”
“The skills I learned in rule-based design, asset management, terrestrial laser scanning and point cloud processing all came from different professionals. For someone wanting to take a leap into this space, that can be really terrifying.”
Rather than relying on project exposure alone, the Advanced Diploma has been designed to consolidate those experiences into a single learning pathway.
“What we tried to do is bring all those people together to create this Advanced Diploma,” says Tay. “It’s written from the perspective of people doing the job, not just teaching the theory.
While short courses and vendor certifications continue to play an important role in helping professionals learn new tools, Jobanputra and Tay believe the industry needs something broader.
“Most training teaches software. We teach the thinking behind the software,” says Tay.
Jobanputra agrees. “We wanted to create competent practitioners, not software operators.”
As a vocational qualification, the Advanced Diploma assesses students on their ability to demonstrate competency, rather than simply complete learning modules.
“In vocational education you’re either competent or you’re not. That’s exactly how industry works,” says Jobanputra.
Assessments are intentionally designed to replicate project environments and workplace scenarios.
“Our assessments don’t ask multiple-choice questions,” says Tay. “They ask students to organise meetings, solve real project problems and communicate with stakeholders.”
Most courses finish when you’ve watched the videos. Ours starts when you demonstrate your skills in practice.
The qualification also aims to address a gap often left by traditional tertiary education.
“A lot of the times from a degree you don’t get sight of how business operates,” says Tay.
“It gives an understanding of risks associated with the business when you’re applying your skill set to deliver a project.”
Beyond digital tools and information management, students are exposed to leadership, stakeholder engagement, project delivery processes and commercial considerations – skills that are becoming increasingly important as digital engineering requirements become embedded within contracts and project specifications.
For employers, the benefit extends beyond an individual’s technical capability.
It not only stays with the person, it lifts the team around you. You have that foundational knowledge and confidence to support your other team members, provide guidance and improve communication across disciplines.
Given the qualification is designed to prepare practitioners for the realities of modern project delivery, we also asked Jobanputra and Tay how they view the growing role of artificial intelligence in digital engineering.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries, digital engineering professionals may question what role they will play in the future.
The creators of the qualification see AI as an opportunity rather than a threat.
“AI won’t replace great Digital Engineers. It’ll make great Digital Engineers even better,” says Jobanputra.
Tay takes a similar view.
“AI is the enabler, not the replacer.”
Technology may accelerate workflows and automate repetitive tasks, but both believe strong engineering fundamentals will become even more valuable.
“People still need to make the right decisions, even though AI may have got us there a little bit quicker,” says Tay.
“Quality assurance becomes even more important in an AI-enabled industry.”
Bryan Tay, Director at Pivodel, spoke to the Digital Construction Podcast about spending the last twelve months building Australia’s first nationally accredited Advanced Diploma of Digital Engineering.
Ultimately, the creators hope the Advanced Diploma contributes to something much bigger than a new qualification.
“I’d like to see an industry that works together very differently to how it does today,” says Tay. “Digital engineering capability should no longer be isolated with experts, individuals or certain organisations, but shared consistently across the broader industry.”
He believes one of the biggest inefficiencies in construction stems from a lack of trust in the information being exchanged.
“A lot of the time, information is exchanged and people feel the need to reproduce elements of the work before they can confidently rely on it. That’s an area where the industry still has room to improve.”
Instead, Tay envisions a future where information can move seamlessly between designers, contractors, surveyors and asset owners.
“Information should move through projects with the same trust as currency. Technology should never be the barrier. It should be the enabler.”
For Jobanputra, success will be felt in the capability the Advanced Diploma builds across industry.
“Success isn’t measured by enrolments. It’s measured by the capability graduates bring back to their projects and workplaces.”
If the qualification succeeds in doing that, it will help create not just more digital engineers, but a more connected, capable and collaborative construction industry.
BuildingPoint has worked closely with TAFE Queensland and Pivodel to support industry alignment across the curriculum. As part of this, BuildingPoint will contribute to software and hardware education through guest lectures, live demonstrations and site visits.
Applications are now open for the Advanced Diploma of Digital Engineering, with the next intake commencing on 18 August 2026.
Further course information can be found below.
Applications Now Open
The Advanced Diploma of Digital Engineering is now taking applications for the intake commencing 18 August 2026. Build the skills to lead on-site and support your team with confidence.
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