If you’ve been looking into crane, dogging and rigging courses high-risk work licences and you’re trying to work out which ticket to chase first, this guide is for you.
The decision isn’t complicated once you understand what each licence actually allows you to do, what it pays, and what the logical order looks like. This breakdown will help you invest your time and money wisely from the start.
What is a dogging and rigging course?
When people search for a dogging and rigging course, they’re usually looking for both tickets at once. And that makes sense, because dogging and rigging are two separate licences that most people complete together as a natural sequence.
Under Queensland law, anyone directing crane or hoist operators, or physically attaching loads for lifting, must hold the relevant High Risk Work Licence issued by WorkSafe Queensland. The three core licence classes in this space are:
Dogging (DG): Authorises you to select and apply lifting gear, calculate load weights, direct the movement of plant, and assess load integrity. For most people, this is the entry point.
Rigging (RB, RI, RA): A tiered licence class that builds on dogging and allows increasingly complex rigging tasks.
Crane Operation: A separate licence class covering the operation of mobile cranes, tower cranes, and bridge and gantry courses.
Each of these feeds into the others. Understanding how they connect is the key to choosing the right starting point.
Doggers and Riggers course Brisbane: the combined starting point
Dogging and Basic Rigging are two separate courses, but most people complete them together and for good reason. It’s the fastest way to get into well-paid work without spending time and money on two separate enrolments spread across months.
Completing dogging on its own gives you the authority to direct crane operators and apply lifting gear, but you cannot physically rig loads independently. Adding rigging basic straight after expands your scope immediately and positions you for Intermediate Rigging without having to start from scratch on a new course.
At Ascent Training Solutions, Dogging and Basic Rigging can be sequenced back to back, covering both theory and hands-on assessment. Contact Ascent directly for current pricing and available dates.
Your licence pathway at a glance
The sequence always starts the same way: Dogging, then Basic Rigging. There’s no way around it. Dogging is a mandatory prerequisite for Basic Rigging, and Basic Rigging is a mandatory prerequisite for Intermediate Rigging and so forth for Advanced. Getting that foundation sorted first is the only move that makes sense.
From there, the pathway splits depending on what you want to do on site. If rigging is your trade, the next step is Intermediate Rigging, then Advanced. Each level opens up more complex work and typically comes with a higher pay rate. Most workers spend six months to two years at each level before progressing, though that depends on the projects you’re working on and whether your employer is actively funding your upskilling.
If cranes are the goal, dogging and Basic Rigging are still where you start. They’re not just prerequisites on paper; the skills you build through dogging and rigging are directly applied in crane operation. Workers who try to shortcut this foundation tend to struggle when they get to crane assessments. Our MD often says, ‘A crane driver without a Dogging licence is like a sheep without a shepherd”. The full crane licence pathway, and which class suits your situation, is covered in the section below.
Either way, the decision you make at the start sets up everything that follows. Getting the sequence right from day one saves you time, money, and the frustration of having to go back and fill gaps later.
Crane operator Brisbane: Which class is right for you?
If cranes are where you want to end up, Dogging at a minimum is where you start. The load management and communication skills you build through dogging is what crane operators use on site every single day.
Once you have that foundation, Ascent runs the full range of crane licence classes:
Bridge and Gantry Crane: The licence for overhead travelling cranes in fixed industrial environments like manufacturing, warehousing, and ports. Often the fastest route to a crane licence for people coming from an industrial background.
Non-Slewing Mobile Crane: Covers smaller mobile cranes and is a common first crane licence for people moving into civil and residential construction.
Slewing Mobile Crane: Found across commercial construction, infrastructure, and resource projects.
Tower Crane: Required for fixed tower cranes on high-rise and major commercial projects. One of the most specialised and best-paid pathways in the trade.
Vehicle Loading Crane: Covers truck-mounted cranes used for loading and unloading across logistics and civil construction.
Ready to book your course?
The Dogging and Basic Rigging or Dogging and C6 Crane course are the most cost-effective single investment you can make in your site career. It upgrades your classification, your earning potential, and your pathway to every subsequent licence in the system.
Ascent Training Solutions offers the full range of HRWL courses in Brisbane, from the back to back DG and RB entry course through to Intermediate Rigging, Advanced Rigging, and crane operator licences across all classes. If you’re ready to book, or just want to ask which course makes sense for your specific situation, get in touch with the Ascent team directly.
Visit ascenttrainingsolutions.com.au or call to speak with someone who works in the industry and can give you a straight answer.
