Case for change

Crocodile farming is a growing industry in the northern states of Australia, but it is yet to fully mature. The sale of crocodile skins, meat, by-products, as well as associated tourism and conservation markets have made crocodile farming a significant factor in the labour markets and economies of remote communities in the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland.

Changes in legislation have been a major driver of the growth of this industry, with Queensland enacting legislation as recently as December 2018 to allow for controlled collection of wild crocodile eggs. This reflects similar legislation in the Northern Territory in the early 1980s that saw the development of the contemporary commercial crocodile farming sector in Australia.

For Australian crocodile farming to continue its success in international markets, it is important to retain a reputation for safe, effective and sustainable operations. There is a need to consult with industry about current work practices and job roles in order that these can be captured in units of competency. There is a need for consultation with a diverse range of stakeholders to capture the different work environments for working with crocodiles and meet the the needs of remote and Indigenous communities.

This project was first proposed as part of the 2019-2022 Aquaculture and Wild Catch IRC Skills Forecast and Proposed Schedule of Work (see pages 40-47). It was later approved by the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) after an additional submission outlining the potential scope of the project.

Skills Impact and the Aquaculture and Wild Catch Industry Reference Committee (IRC) will manage this project, consistent with the 2012 Standards for Training Package Development.

Download Project Proposal 

Project Plan

In addition to farm workers, the handling of crocodiles and their eggs is performed by park rangers, zoo employees, and licenced individuals. Crocodile farming is also closely linked with Indigenous communities, providing economic benefits for Traditional Owners through employment and royalty payments for egg collection on their land. While those with experience have developed and honed techniques for working with crocodiles, skills standards have not been defined within the national vocational education and training system.

Broad consultation with industry will continue throughout this project to describe the skills needed for all kinds of work with crocodiles. Advice from Indigenous communities will be an important part of consultation activities. We recognise that crocodiles have been part of Indigenous culture for thousands of years, as both respected entities and a source of food. We also acknowledge the challenges involved for people who are not related to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders to understand the significance of this connection and will therefore seek advice and guidance from Indigenous people.

Project Scope

The project will address the need for accessible skills standards for working with crocodiles. The focus will be on developing units of competency that can be used across all forms of work with crocodiles, to promote safe and sustainable practices.

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 September 2019, and again for validation of final drafts in December 2019. However, your feedback is welcomed at any time, and will help us in drafting the qualifications, skill set and units. 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 would love 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, Name 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.

Development

Consultation Workshops – Registrations Open!

Thank you to those stakeholders that have been involved and provided feedback and advice so far.

The draft units of competency and skill sets will be made available on this webpage for broad stakeholder consultation and feedback in January and February, 2020 (under the ‘Drafts Available’ menu above). Face-to-face consultation workshops will also take place, with a webinar planned for those unable to attend in person.

Registrations for these workshops are now open. Please feel free to register for a workshop near you by clicking the corresponding link.

Visits to the NT

Members of the Skills Impact team have visited the Northern Territory for two Subject Matter Expert workshops. The open discussions during these two visits have already identified a need for several new units of competency, and associated skill sets, as well as a potential qualification. Further consultation is required to determine if these units will be placed as electives in the Certificate III in Aquaculture, Certificate III &/or IV in Conservation Land Management. Discussion about placement is ongoing.

While in Darwin, the Skills Impact team also visited the Crocodylus Park to learn about their breeding program and conservation work and see it all in action. They also met with experts on the Adelaide River to observe the ‘catch and release’ technique, witnessing first-hand how crocodile handlers and rangers safely and humanely relocate crocodiles who are injured, ill or a danger to humans.

As the skills for work with crocodiles cover a number of industry subsectors, it’s vital that consultation encompasses the full range of relevant job roles. Industry experts consulted during this development stage have included crocodile farm directors, supervisors and handlers, park rangers, wildlife officers, animal wranglers, research scientists, and a biosecurity officer, from QLD, WA and NT.

Another important element of this project is ensuring advice and feedback is received from Indigenous Australians, whose culture has respected crocodiles as entities and a source of food for thousands of years. Today, crocodile farming provides economic benefit for Traditional Owners through employment and royalty payments for egg collection on their land. Skills Impact is consulting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples throughout this project.

Click here to read about a recent visit to the Northern Territory.

Drafts Available

Thank you to those who provided feedback on the draft qualification, skill sets and units of competency that were made available on this webpage for feedback from 7 February – 9 March 2020. 

During this time, feedback was collected via the online feedback hub, four 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 late March 2020. A summary of the feedback and how it was addressed in the final drafts will also be available.

Feedback was sought on whether the draft documents reflect the current skills standards and practices of industry, and whether job functions are accurately described. Feedback was encouraged about the level of detail in the proposed units and whether there is potential for any of them to be combined, as well as the groupings of units within the skill sets and whether a full qualification is necessary.

Consultation to date

Over the past five months members of the Skills Impact team have been consulting with experts in the industry to revise and draft the qualifications and skills standards. Two visits to the Northern Territory took place for two Subject Matter Expert workshops. Job roles and tasks that need to be considered in the next five years were discussed, along with the specific skills and knowledge required to prepare individuals for these. Appropriate terminology was suggested, as well as the need for references to the use of technology. The issue of how competency, skills and knowledge may be assessed in the future was also discussed.

Initially the SMEs felt there was a need for separate units for ‘on farm’ and ‘in the wild’, however as the discussion progressed several similarities were found. Discussions included: on farm, in the wild, crocodile handling, egg collection, cultural sensitivity, use of technology, equipment, chemicals, drugs, safety and the need for effective communication both within the industry and with respect to the media.

The decision to propose the deletion of SFIAQU216 Work with crocodiles and to review SFIPRO303 Slaughter and process crocodiles were unanimous.

Thank you to those who have provided feedback to date, and a special thank you to those who welcomed Skills Impact into their workplaces and shared their knowledge and skills in crocodile handling to help us to better understand the needs of industry.

Gathering advice and feedback from Indigenous Australians is a key element of this project, as their culture has respected crocodiles as entities and a source of food for thousands of years. Today, crocodile farming provides economic benefit for Traditional Owners through employment and royalty payments for egg collection on their land. Skills Impact is consulting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout this project.

For further insight into the consultation process so far, click here to read about a recent visit to the Northern Territory.

Validation

All documents are newly developed, including some units appropriate for working with crocodiles in any context and others suited to a specific work environment.  

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 Aquaculture and Wild Catch 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.

Key changes since the initial drafts

Prior to validation, the following key changes were made to better reflect job functions and tasks: 

• Replacement of references to ‘crocodile farming’ in the documents with ‘crocodiles in a controlled environment’ in order to include working with crocodiles in research facilities, zoos and wildlife parks, as well as farms. 
• Revision of the units’ Knowledge Evidence to ensure that it is concise and does not pose barriers to training delivery. 
• Development of two new units to address remote communication and working safely in remote waterways in Northern Australia: SFICOM2X1 Communicate remotely and SFICRO2X5 Work safely in crocodile waterways. 
• Crocodile size references amended from under 1.5 metres and over 1.5 metres to under 1.2 metres and over 1.2 metres as this was seen to be more appropriate as a distinction point. 
• Deletion of redundant draft and existing units because industry stakeholders indicated that they do not accurately address current job roles. This has included the deletion of SFIPRO303 Slaughter and process crocodiles. The other existing unit SFIAQU216 Work with crocodiles was already proposed for deletion in the first draft. 
• Number of proposed new units of competency reduced from 14 to 11. 
• Refinement of the draft skill sets, including reduction from ten skill sets to eight, and more suitable titles chosen. 
• Inclusion of further existing units in the first draft qualification and change from Certificate II in Crocodile Care to Certificate III in Crocodile Care. This level better reflects the skill level required to perform the job roles.

Further details about changes are available below.

Summary of consultation to date

Thank you to those stakeholders who provided feedback on the draft documents that were made available from 07 February – 09 March, 2020, under the ‘Drafts Available’ stage. During this time, feedback was collected at six face-to-face consultation workshops, site visits, by webinar, via the online feedback hub, phone and email. The qualification, skill sets and units were drafted with guidance from Subject Matter Experts, made up of industry experts, including state park and national park rangers, crocodile research scientists, crocodile farmers, animal wranglers and RTOs.   

Gathering advice and feedback from Indigenous Australians is a key element of this project, as their culture has respected crocodiles as entities and a source of food for thousands of years. Today, crocodile farming provides economic benefit for Traditional Owners through employment and royalty payments for egg collection on their land. Skills Impact is consulting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout this project.

For further insight into the earlier stages of consultation, as part of the ‘Development’ stage, click here to read about a visit to the Northern Territory. This sentence could also be the last sentence in the summary of consultation to date section.

A description of how feedback has been considered and applied in these final draft products can be downloaded below. Please click the ‘Download Summary of Feedback, Responses and Actions’ button.