Module 01
Foundations & jargon
Standardising terminology across ISO 22301, APRA, MAS, HKMA, and DORA. Building a working vocabulary that holds up in any APAC market.
What you produce
A localised regulatory translation matrix.
Level 1 · Foundation tier
Associate
Resilience Officer.
A three-day live virtual course followed by a 90-minute live exam delivered over Microsoft Teams and proctored by PRI faculty. Six modules cover the practical mechanics of operational resilience — gathering the data, running a BIA, mapping dependencies, keeping an incident log, and writing up what happened. Each module ends in a deliverable you can show your employer. Join the waiting list — dates are released when course numbers allow. All sessions run Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).
Tier
Foundation
Format
3 days virtual (AEST)
Exam
90 min · 60 Q
CPD
20 hrs / year
Who it's for
The standardised way into the profession.
ARO is built for people starting out — whether that's a first job in risk, a sideways move from audit or technology, or a return to civilian work from a security background. The course is delivered as a three-day live virtual cohort, and every module ties theory to something you produce in your own workplace.
Early-career practitioners
Analysts and coordinators in their first resilience, business continuity, or operational risk role.
Adjacent risk professionals
Internal audit, ORM, and compliance staff who have picked up resilience responsibilities.
Career transitioners
People moving in from IT disaster recovery, corporate physical security, or military and law-enforcement backgrounds.
Graduates
Recent graduates in business, technology, risk, or public policy preparing for a regulated industry role.
What you'll be able to do
Three things, on the first day after.
- Outcome 01
Run a structured operational data-gathering exercise across a business unit.
- Outcome 02
Map a critical activity to the people, systems, and vendors it relies on.
- Outcome 03
Carry out a predefined business continuity plan during a localised disruption.
The six modules.
Three live virtual days, six modules. Each module ends with a piece of work you'd recognise from a real resilience team.
Module 02
BIA mechanics
Gathering operational data and documenting recovery timelines. Turning questionnaire responses into hard numbers on impact over time.
What you produce
Calculated RTO and MTPD metrics for a business unit, with the working shown.
Module 03
Resource mapping
Documenting baseline dependencies — the primary people, software, and vendors a critical activity relies on.
What you produce
An operational resource profile for a critical function.
Module 04
Tactical crisis logs
Logging protocols, log hygiene, and the discipline of executing a standard continuity plan when something goes wrong.
What you produce
A defensible, legally compliant master incident log.
Module 05
Component testing
Coordinating desktop walkthroughs and application failovers at a single-component level.
What you produce
A structured script for a single-department tabletop test.
Module 06
Fact post-mortems
Reconstructing timelines, collecting uptime metrics, and recording the gaps an event exposed.
What you produce
A factual post-incident report detailing an outage.
Continuing professional development
20 CPD hours a year to stay current.
ARO holders log 20 hours of CPD each year, weighted toward formal learning. The split: up to 10 hours of professional practice, and at least 10 hours of formal learning or industry events.
Professional practice · max 10 hrs
- ·Maintaining internal business continuity plans.
- ·Acting as a log-keeper during live corporate disruptions.
- ·Drafting internal BIA data sheets and refresh cycles.
Formal learning & events · min 10 hrs
- ·Attending regional resilience webinars and PRI events.
- ·Completing specialised IT disaster recovery certifications.
- ·Participating in PRI chapter networking and study groups.
Annual recertification fee from $95 AUD (Tier 3) to $195 AUD (Tier 1).
What to expect, end to end.
- Delivery
- Live virtual cohort over 3 consecutive days, 09:00–17:00 AEST. Join the waiting list — dates are released when course numbers allow.
- Cohort size
- Capped at 24 candidates so every participant gets feedback on their workplace deliverables.
- Intakes
- Join the waiting list. Cohort dates are released once sufficient numbers allow us to confirm a course. All sessions run Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).
- Prerequisites
- None. ARO is designed as the entry-level credential; no prior qualifications required.
- Language
- Delivered in English. Glossary translations provided for key APAC regulatory terms.
- Technology
- Microsoft Teams (free), modern browser, webcam, microphone, and a stable connection of at least 5 Mbps for the live exam.
- Exam window
- Sat live over Microsoft Teams within 30 days of course completion, in a small group session proctored by PRI faculty. 90 minutes, 60 multiple-choice questions, pass mark 70%.
- Resits
- One free resit within 90 days. Subsequent attempts charged at 25% of the regional course fee.
- Accommodations
- Extra time, screen-reader support, and quiet-room scheduling available on request to the registrar.
- Refunds
- Full refund up to 21 days before the cohort starts; 50% up to 7 days; transfer to a later cohort otherwise.
Using the designation
Post-nominal letters you can use.
On award, you are entitled to append ARO after your name on business cards, LinkedIn, professional correspondence, and any internal or external publication while your certification remains in good standing.
Example signature
Priya Anand, ARO
Usage rules · ARO
- Use the letters ARO directly after your name in professional contexts while your certification is current.
- The ARO digital badge may be displayed on LinkedIn, email signatures, and your organisation's website.
- Do not use the designation to imply specialist regulatory authority or chartered status — ARO is a foundation credential.
- If your certification lapses, remove the post-nominal until you have completed reinstatement.
- The PRI wordmark and ARO logo must not be altered, recoloured, or used in a way that suggests PRI endorses a product or service.
Frequently asked questions.
No. ARO is the foundation tier and assumes you are new to resilience as a discipline. Most candidates are in their first one or two years of a risk, audit, technology continuity, or operations role.