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Population growth in Australian cities is influencing government policies around sustainable living and urban greening within high-density living areas. The growing interest has been encouraged by increasing availability of technologies that make their construction easier and more economical. As such, there is an increasing demand for skills in developing rooftop gardens and green walls.Industry consultation has identified the need for skills standards and training in the design, construction, installation and maintenance of green walls and rooftop gardens in Australia.The Australian Industry Skills Committee (AISC) approved this project, out of the
2019-2022 IRC Skills Forecast and Proposed Schedule of Work.Skills Impact and the Amenity Horticulture, Landscaping and Conservation & Land Management Industry Reference Committee (IRC) will manage this project, consistent with the 2012 Standards for Training Package Development.
Download Project ProposalP
Green walls and rooftops help to cool our cities, manage storm water and improve air quality. These ‘living’ roofs and walls are growing with popularity, as they offer city residents healthy, environmentally responsible buildings. The growing interest is encouraged by government policy, as well as increased availability of technology that makes their construction and maintenance easier and more economical. This is opening up job opportunities in industry, with skills and knowledge adapting to respond to the needs of this specialised sector.Landscapers are familiar with building constructions, such as garden beds and tree landscapes at ground level. However, the skills and knowledge required to design, construct, install and maintain these sorts of infrastructure on walls and roofs is specialised. Consideration needs to be given to drainage and filtration systems, soil/media and plant selection, waterproof barrier selection, nutrient requirements, working at heights on elevated work platforms, and local government legislation. Knowledge of environmental factors and microclimates is also important, as well as how much weight a structure can bare. The unique skills requirements of workers in this sub-sector will be identified as part of this project and reflected in the national skills standards, to support the skills development and career opportunities in this growing occupation.
Australian city dwellers will be all too familiar with the fierce heat that can be experienced on a hot summer’s day, when surrounded by closely constructed buildings, concrete and other solid surfaces. Green walls and roof tops can offer respite from these ‘urban heat islands’, where space for traditional parks is limited.In recent years, Australian city councils have pledged to increase green walls and rooftop gardens to reduce the urban heat island effect. Melbourne has a Green Our City Strategic Action Plan, Sydney has the Green Roofs and Walls Policy, and Brisbane has introduced a non-statutory New World City Design Guide - Buildings that Breathe.
Project Scope
Units of competency will be reviewed and revised if necessary to address the additional skills and knowledge required for the design, construction, installation and maintenance of green walls and rooftop gardens in Australia.
Register your interest in the project
Subscribe to the Skills Impact newsletter to keep informed about project updates and opportunities to provide input and feedback. Make sure to select ‘Agriculture, Horticulture, Conservation & Land Management’ as your industry of interest. |
Relevant Occupations
Green walls and rooftop gardens designers, and those involved in construction, installation and ongoing maintenance.
Timeline
Aug 2019
Initial scoping
Sept 2019
Development of drafts
Nov 2019
Drafts available for broad consultation
Feb 2020
Validation of final drafts
Mar – Apr 2020
Finalisation of Training Package components
June 2020
Submission for endorsement
Project Team
| Lucinda O’Brien | Industry Skills Standards Specialist, Skills Impact [email protected] |
| Kate Vanson | Industry Engagement Manager, Skills Impact [email protected] |
| Maree Thorne | Industry Skills Standards Contractor |
Opportunities for stakeholder input
Stakeholder input is appreciated throughout the duration of this project. The documents will be drafted in consultation with Subject Matter Experts and their networks. Opportunities to provide targeted feedback will occur when the draft materials are made available in November 2019, and again for validation of final drafts in early February 2020. However, your feedback is welcomed at any time, and will help us in drafting the training package materials. It is important that training provides a skilled and flexible workforce for the future. The qualifications, skill sets and units need to reflect real work experience. So, if you work in the sector, Skills Impact encourages your input and help. Please feel free to register your interest for project updates and consultation opportunities by following the newsletter subscription link below. Alternatively, please feel free to contact the project manager, Lucinda O’Brien on 03 9321 3526 or
[email protected].
Stakeholder Consultation Process
A list of key stakeholder organisations has been identified for this project. Skills Impact will ensure contact is made with each of these organisations during the development of this project to seek their involvement and their views on the draft qualifications, skill sets and units.If you are aware of an organisation that you think should be involved, please contact the project team to ensure they are contacted by us.Of course, all and any interested industry participants are encouraged to engage in the consultation of this project, when the draft qualifications, skill sets and units are available for feedback via this webpage and workshops that take place around Australia. Consultation is not limited to the organisations on this list. This list simply helps us to identify those organisations that, because of their industry role, size or specialty, are likely to have a key interest in the development and outcomes of this project.
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Green walls and rooftops are increasing in popularity for their capacity to cool our cities, manage storm water and improve air quality. Thanks to the encouragement of government policy and improved availability of the technology to construct and maintain green walls and rooftop gardens, job opportunities are opening up.Specialised skills and knowledge are required to design, construct, install and maintain these sorts of infrastructure. As part of this project, work is now underway to review skill sets and units of competency to address these skills needs.In September, a workshop was held with stakeholders and subject matter experts who work directly in this field. At this meeting the required functions, roles and tasks involved to create and maintain green walls and rooftop gardens were discussed. It was identified that the skills required for design vary to those needed for construction. Education for the maintenance of green walls and rooftop gardens was also identified as an important area.
Consultation Workshops – Registrations Open!
Thank you to those stakeholders that have been involved and provided feedback and advice so far. The draft skill sets and units of competency will be made available on this webpage for public consideration and feedback early November 2019 (under the ‘Drafts Available’ menu above). Face-to-face consultation workshops will also take place across states, with a webinar planned for those unable to attend in person. Registrations for these workshops are now open. Register for a workshop near you by clicking the corresponding link.
Face-to-face consultation workshopsWed 13 Nov 19, 9:30am to 11:30am ACST – Adelaide –
register hereThurs 14 Nov 19, 9:30am to 11:30am AWST – Perth –
register hereTues 19 Nov 19, 9:30am to 11:30am AEST – Brisbane –
register hereWed 20 Nov 19, 9:30am to 11:30am AEDST – Sydney –
register hereTues 26 Nov 19, 10am to 12pm AEDST – Melbourne –
register hereConsultation webinarTues 26 Nov 19, 2pm to 3pm AEDST –
register here Proposed skill set and units of competency for development
Following input during workshops with subject matter experts, the following skill sets and units of competency are proposed for development. Drafts of these documents will be made available early November 2019.
Please note titles are to be confirmedProposed new skill sets
- Plan and Design Green Walls and Rooftop Gardens Skill Set
- Build or Install Green Walls and Rooftop Gardens Skill Set
- Maintain Green Walls and Rooftop Gardens Skill Set
Proposed new units of competency
- Develop and apply knowledge of green infrastructure to the designing of rooftop gardens and green walls
- Build or install rooftop gardens and or green walls
- Maintain rooftop gardens and or green walls
Register your interest in the project
Subscribe to the Skills Impact newsletter to keep informed about project updates and opportunities to provide input and feedback. Make sure to select ‘Agriculture, Horticulture, Conservation & Land Management’ as your industry of interest. |
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Green walls and rooftop gardens offer city residents healthy, environmentally responsible buildings, helping to cool our cities, manage storm water and improve air quality. With city councils encouraging this trend through policy and the increased availability of technology, these features are becoming more common, opening up job opportunities in the sector. As industry adapts its skills and knowledge to the unique requirements of green walls and rooftop gardens, it's important to ensure this is captured in the skills standards for the sector.Three new skill sets and three new units of competency have been developed as part of this project, covering the skills and knowledge required for individuals to design, construct and maintain rooftop gardens, green walls and green facades.Thank you to those who provided feedback on the draft units of competency and skill sets that were made available on this webpage for feedback from 30 October – 1 December 2019. During this time, feedback was collected via the online feedback hub, five face-to-face consultation workshops, a webinar, and email. The drafts, including any comments made on the feedback hub, are still available for viewing below.Feedback will inform the work on the final drafts which are expected to be available for industry validation in February 2020. A summary of the feedback and how it was addressed in the final drafts will also be available.
| Skill Set code and name | Rationale | Link |
| AHCSSXXXX1 Plan and Design Rooftop Gardens, Green Walls and Green Facades Skill Set | Captures skills standards for ensuring designs are compliant with building codes and structural principles, that they meet client requirements, and are costed appropriately. This takes into account ongoing maintenance and sustainability of green walls and rooftop gardens through selection of appropriate infrastructure, plants, growing media, irrigation and drainage systems and provision of access for maintenance. | View draft skill set |
| AHCSSXXXX2 Build or Install Rooftop Gardens, Green Walls and Green Facades Skill Set | Captures skills standards for the building or installation of green walls and rooftop gardens from plans and specifications to meet building codes, select suitable plants, systems and materials (including fixings and tools), work safely at height and install growing media and plants. | View draft skill set |
| AHCSSXXXX3 Maintain Rooftop Gardens, Green Walls and Green Facades Skill Set | Captures skills standards for working safely at heights, maintaining the sustainability of green walls and rooftop gardens, keeping maintenance records, and monitoring climatic conditions, irrigation and drainage systems, and other horticultural factors. | View draft skill set |
The draft documents can be downloaded in Microsoft Word format by
clicking here.
| Unit code and name | Explanation | Link |
| AHCGRIXX1 Design rooftop gardens, green walls and green facades | Captures the skills and knowledge required for the construction of green walls and rooftop gardens, including compliance to building codes, weight loading, site features and access, impacts of environmental considerations, and planning and designing sustainable infrastructure to meet client requirements. | View draft unit |
| AHCGRIXX2 Build or install rooftop gardens, green walls and green facades | Captures the skills and knowledge required to comply with building regulations, standards and codes and meet design plans and specifications. Includes calculating costs and material quantities, sequencing building or installation tasks, identifying and controlling site hazards, undertaking building or installation work at heights, and installing waterproofing, irrigation and drainage systems. | View draft unit |
| AHCGRIXX3 Maintain rooftop gardens, green walls and green facades | Captures the skills and knowledge to carry out maintenance work on rooftop gardens, green walls and green facades, including working safely, using personal proactive equipment, monitoring plant health, pest management, keeping maintenance records, and monitoring drainage and irrigation system performance. | View draft unit |
The draft documents can be downloaded in Microsoft Word format by
clicking here.
Feedback is also being sought on the placement of new units within qualifications existing in the AHC Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package. The new units are proposed to be included as electives in the qualifications as shown in the table below.
| AHCGRIXX1 Design rooftop gardens, green walls and green facades | AHCGRIXX2 Build or install rooftop gardens, green walls and green facades | AHCGRIXX3 Maintain rooftop gardens, green walls and green facades |
| AHC30716 Certificate III in Horticulture | | | Yes |
| AHC30916 Certificate III in Landscape Construction | | | Yes |
| AHC40416 Certificate IV in Horticulture | | Yes | Yes |
| AHC42016 Certificate IV in Landscape | | Yes | Yes |
| AHC50416 Diploma of Horticulture | Yes | Yes | |
| AHC50616 Diploma of Landscape Design | Yes | Yes | |
Summary of consultation to date
The draft skill sets and units have been drafted in consultation with Subject Matter Experts through a workshop in September, emails and phone calls. People working directly with rooftop gardens, green walls and green facades participated and provided information on the skills and knowledge required for individuals to design, construct and maintain these types of infrastructure. Site visits were undertaken to observe the benefits and features and to better understand the importance of ongoing maintenance for these spaces.Thank you to those who provided feedback during these activities.
Register your interest in the project
Subscribe to the Skills Impact newsletter to keep informed about project updates and opportunities to provide input and feedback. Make sure to select ‘Agriculture, Horticulture, Conservation & Land Management’ as your industry of interest. |
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Roof gardens, vertical gardens, and green facades offer many benefits for city residents, helping to cool our cities, manage storm water and improve air quality. Such infrastructure is becoming more common, as technology and council policies make it easier to build. This is opening up job opportunities in the sector, requiring industry to adapt its skills and knowledge to the unique context of the work. Capturing the skills standards required to design, construct, install and maintain such infrastructure is essential to supporting job roles in this field.Thank you to those who provided feedback on the final draft skill set and units that were made available on this webpage for feedback from 7 February – 1 March 2020.They have been revised to include terminology consistent with that used within industry, which is reflected in the updated proposed titles and throughout the documents. Concern was raised during consultation that the scope of the proposed unit AHCGRIXX1 Design rooftop gardens, green walls and green facades was too large as it contains 36 Performance Criteria (PC) and a learner would have to design for three different situations. Consultation with Subject Matter Experts confirms that the unit needs to be kept as one unit as it is common for workers to use a range of building styles and techniques across one project.
Subject Matter Experts also considered the issue of prerequisites for the individual units as well as entry requirements for the skill sets. The units are proposed to be added as elective units to a number of existing qualifications, none of which currently have entry requirements, meaning a person could undertake the units (and RTOs could package the individual units into a short course) from existing qualifications without entry requirements. As an alternative to entry requirements or prerequisites, wording has been incorporated into the units and skill sets to indicate a level of experience may be necessary, and RTOs can and should determine individual learner capabilities for enrolment. This will keep the units and skill sets accessible to a wider range of potential learners.The final drafts will shortly progress through to the Finalisation stage of the project which includes quality assurance of the documents and review and feedback from the State/Territory Training Authorities. They will then be forwarded to the Amenity Horticulture, Landscaping and Conservation & Land Management Industry Reference Committee (IRC) for consideration and sign off, before being submitted to the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) to consider and approve for publication on
training.gov.au.
Summary of consultation to date
Thank you to those stakeholders who provided feedback on the drafts that were made available from 30 October – 1 December 2019, under the ‘Drafts Available’ stage. During this time, feedback was collected via the online feedback hub, national face-to-face consultation workshops and webinars, and via phone call and email. The components were drafted with guidance from Subject Matter Experts, made up of workplace experts and industry.A description of how feedback has been considered and applied in these final drafts can be downloaded below. Please click the ‘Download Summary of Feedback, Responses and Actions’ button.
Click here to download a zipped folder of all skill sets in this group.| Skill Set code and name | Proposed changes | Link |
| AHCSSXXXX1 Plan and Design Roof Gardens, Vertical Gardens and Green Facades Skill Set | Wording has been included in the Skill Set Description and Target Group to clarify that design of green infrastructure is required to be undertaken in association with specialists and building professions. | Download final draft skill set |
| AHCSSXXXX2 Construct Roof Gardens, Vertical Gardens and Green Facades Skill Set | Wording regarding the requirement of a ‘White Card’ as a requirement to undertake construction work has been included in the Licencing/Regulatory Information of the Skill Set. | Download final draft skill set |
| AHCSSXXXX3 Maintain Roof Gardens, Vertical Gardens and Green Facades Skill Set | Removed unit AHCIRG339 Monitor soils under irrigationReplaced unit AHCPMG202 Treat plant pests, diseases and disorders with AHCPMG302 Control plant pests, diseases and disorders | Download final draft skill set |
Minor edits to Application, Performance Criterias, Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions to reflect industry requirements. Titles and content updated with consistent terminology used by industry.
Click here to download a zipped folder of all skill sets in this group.Feedback was sought on the placement of new units within qualifications existing in the AHC Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package. The new units are proposed to be included as electives in the qualifications as shown in the table below.
| Proposed qualifications | AHCGRIXX1 Design roof gardens, vertical walls and green facades | AHCGRIXX2 Construct roof gardens, vertical walls and green facades | AHCGRIXX3 Maintain roof gardens, vertical walls and green facades |
| AHC30716 Certificate III in Horticulture | | | Yes |
| AHC30916 Certificate III in Landscape Construction | | | Yes |
| AHC31016 Certificate III in Parks and Gardens | | | Yes |
| AHC40416 Certificate IV in Horticulture | | Yes | Yes |
| AHC42016 Certificate IV in Landscape | | Yes | Yes |
| AHC50416 Diploma of Horticulture | Yes | Yes | |
| AHC50616 Diploma of Landscape Design | Yes | Yes | |
Register your interest in the project
Subscribe to the Skills Impact newsletter to keep informed about project updates and opportunities to provide input and feedback. Make sure to select ‘Agriculture, Horticulture, Conservation & Land Management’ as your industry of interest. |
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Roof gardens, vertical gardens and green facades provide a range of environmental, social, and aesthetic benefits to urban populations. Australian city dwellers will be all too familiar with the fierce heat that can be experienced on a summer’s day, when surrounded by closely constructed buildings, concrete and other solid surfaces. With limited space for traditional parks, this kind of infrastructure can offer respite from 'urban heat islands', along with the ability to improve air quality and help manage storm water. Australian city councils have recognised the appeal, developing plans and policies to increase the number of roof and vertical gardens. This support, combined with better access to technology, has helped green infrastructure to become more popular and open job opportunities. While job roles in this area draw on skills and knowledge relating to horticulture and landscaping, specialist skills and knowledge are required for this unique context. The design, construction and maintenance of green infrastructure requires consideration of a range of factors, including how much weight a structure can bear, safety working at heights, access points, nutrient requirements, installation of waterproof barriers, drainage and filtration systems, environmental factors and microclimates, and local government legislation.
The skills sets and units of competency have all been carefully considered and reflect what I, and the industry, consider to be key in training those entering the industry. I currently employ staff who work in this field and ultimately would like to have staff formally trained in these skills standards prior to commencing employment, in addition to the practical/onsite training that currently occurs. - Michael Casey, Director Evergreen Infrastructure
The units and skill sets were published on the training.gov.au website on 24 December 2020, within the AHC Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package. They are available for use by registered training organisations (RTOs).Key Outcomes
- Three skill sets developed to cover the knowledge and skills required to:
- Design roof gardens, vertical gardens and green facades for commercial and or residential projects, in consultation with building, landscape and horticultural professionals.
- Safely construct roof gardens, vertical gardens and green facades for commercial and or residential projects.
- Maintain green infrastructure specific to commercial and or residential roof gardens, vertical gardens and green facades.
- Five units developed to capture the skills and knowledge required to:
- Design roof gardens
- Design vertical gardens and green facades
- Construct roof gardens
- Construct vertical gardens and green facades
- Maintain roof gardens, vertical gardens and green facades.
Summary of consultation
The units and skill sets were developed with guidance from a group of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). The broader industry were then consulted on the draft documents at two different stages – the ‘Drafts Available’ and ‘Validation’ stages – with feedback collected through consultation workshops, site visits, the online feedback hub, email, telephone and online surveys. A summary of the feedback received during these stages and how it was considered and applied can be downloaded below.
The draft skill sets and units were then reviewed by the Amenity Horticulture, Landscaping and Conservation and Land Management IRC. The IRC considered draft recommendations from the project, and after further consultation with industry experts, decided more work was needed to describe the skills being trained, facilitate the ease of delivery, and ensure learners have adequate opportunity to gain the required competencies.The drafts were updated in consultation with industry experts and made available for an additional two rounds of public consultation, from 6 – 19 July and again from 29 July – 12 August 2020. Feedback was sought on key updates to the draft units for the design and construction of roof gardens, vertical gardens and green walls, and the development of these skills standards from two units to four, so that the different knowledge and skills required for design and construction of roof gardens compared to green walls and facades could adequately be covered. A summary of feedback collected during the additional round of the 'Drafts Available' stage is available for download below. A summary of the additional 'Validation' phase will be available soon.
The skill sets and units were endorsed by the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (read the communique) and State and Territory Ministers after undergoing an edit and equity and independent quality assurance process and consideration by the State/Territory Training Authorities (STAs/TTAs). A Case for Endorsement was submitted alongside the draft skill sets and units, including a rationale of why these changes are needed and evidence of industry support.
Click here to download the Case for EndorsementPlease find below links to the final documents, that are published on the training.gov.au website.Companion Volume Implementation GuideA Companion Volume Implementation Guide has also been produced to assist industry and registered training providers (RTOs) deliver the skill sets and units. It contains key information to help trainers adapt to any new changes, as well as additional information about the impacts of regulation and licensing implications and workplace health and safety on their training.
Click here to download the Companion Volume Implementation Guide Part 1
Click here to download the Companion Volume Implementation Guide Part 2 