Case for change

Project Plan

This project will review and update current entry level qualifications so that they better support the career journey of learners and reflect the hands-on skills required. This will include a review of skills standards for a range of entry level job roles, including within nursery, forest infrastructure and forest harvesting, all which require unique expertise.

Project Scope

Qualifications, units of competency and skill sets to be reviewed and redesigned

• FWP10116 Certificate I in Forest and Forest Products
• FWP20116 Certificate II in Forest Growing and Management
• FWP20216 Certificate II Harvesting and Haulage
• FWP30116 Certificate III in Forest Growing and Management
• FWP30216 Certificate III in Harvesting and Haulage
• 44 units of competency from the above qualifications
• 17 skill sets related to the forest operations

New units and skill sets to potentially be developed

• New units of competency for skills by using harvesting simulators
• New skill sets subject to consultations

Project Team

Subject Matter Experts 

Subject Matter Experts will be drawn on throughout this project in addition to a Steering Committee to help review and draft the revised units, skill sets and qualifications.

If you are interested in applying to be a subject matter expert and are able to volunteer your time to this project, please email details of your interest and your experience to [email protected]

Opportunities for stakeholder input

Stakeholder input is appreciated throughout the duration of this project. The documents will be drafted in consultation with a Steering Committee, Subject Matter Experts and their networks. Opportunities to provide targeted feedback will occur when the draft materials are made available in May – June 2021, and again for validation of final drafts in July 2021. 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, Georgiana Daian on 0413 660 987 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

A Steering Committee made up of industry and VET representatives met in October 2020 to provide views about challenges related to forestry-based VET programs delivered in school. The Committee also outlined skills that school students need to develop to get ready for work. One-on-one discussions and various videoconference meetings with subject matter experts were also held throughout this period. This engagement enabled the project team to understand job and skills requirements, to draft content for the new units of competency.

In redesigning the qualifications, the current project seeks to identify the range of entry-level skills required by industry. Consultation to date has identified the following key points regarding the skills needs of entry level workers:

• The potential to use forestry machine simulators in providing young people with an introduction to the mechanised operations. Simulator-based training would not offer young people the skills to operate forestry machines in the workplace, but it may identify people with an aptitude and inclination for forest operations roles, providing a more robust employment pathway.
• The need to entry level students to be introduced to a broader range of new technology used in forestry, such as small-scale drones.
• The need for future qualifications to support students to develop industry knowledge by learning industry concepts and how the industry works.
• The need to significantly update units of competency for forest nursery production within the current FWP qualifications, as industry has indicated they do not provide for the specialist skills and knowledge required within the forest nursery production operations. It is important that these skills are supported, as industry has indicated a lack of younger people coming into the industry and an increasing demand for qualified staff especially after the 2019-2020 bushfires.
• The need to support soft skills, to prepare students to navigate workplaces were also mentioned during the consultations.

A series of subject matter expert meetings are planned for February 2021 for reviewing competencies related to four-wheel drive operations, forest nursery production, the use of forestry machine simulators and workplace health and safety.

An additional Steering Committee meeting is planned for March 2021 to consider and provide feedback on the draft entry-level forestry qualifications following the input to date.

Development outcomes and next steps

Broad stakeholder consultation is scheduled to commence in May 2021, when draft qualifications, units, and skill sets will be made available for feedback on this webpage. Your input is welcome. Please feel free to register your interest to keep informed of project updates and when draft materials are available for feedback following the newsletter subscription link below.

Drafts Available

Thank you to those who provided feedback on draft qualifications, skill sets and units of competency that were made available for feedback on this page from 18 May to 17 June 2021.

During this time, feedback was collected through the online feedback hub, phone, email and online consultation sessions. The drafts, including any comments made on the feedback hub, are still available for viewing below.

The revised and developed training package components aim to support the current skills requirements within the forest industry, facilitate efficient training delivery and provide visible career pathways to school students, new entrants and existing workers.

Feedback will inform the work on the final drafts which will be available for industry validation later in June. A summary of the feedback and how it was addressed in the final drafts will also be available.

Overview of Key Changes

• Four forest growing management and harvesting and haulage qualifications at the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level II and III were consolidated into one qualification at each level, resulting in a Certificate II in Forest Operations and a Certificate III in Forest Operations. The qualifications are designed to offer specialisations in Forest Nursery Production, Silviculture and Timber Harvesting and Haulage. Units of competency from the Foundation Skills Training Package have been included in the qualifications to allow for soft skills development so that young learners are prepared to navigate workplaces.
• The Certificate I in Forest and Forest Products was proposed for deletion as it has had no enrolment in the last five years. All units within the qualification are included in the proposed Certificate II in Forest Operations.
• Two skill sets were developed for plantation establishment and silviculture workers to support the industry to overcome the workforce shortage due to the 2019-2020 bushfire season and COVID-19 travel restrictions. The skill sets can be used as short course training to upskill workers to do a specific job or as an entry pathway to further training. Another two skill sets have been developed for the job roles of excavator operators and skid steer loader operators.
• Two units of competency were developed to encourage young people to participate in forestry-related VET in school programs. The units allow for training that supports learners in developing a contemporary view of the industry and interacting with forestry technology and operations through forestry machine simulators.
• Units were also created to support skill development for jobs in forest nursery production operations. These skills are currently in high demand due to the need to generate new tree stock to replenish extensive forest areas burnt out during the recent bushfires.
• Five units of competency were proposed for deletion due to no enrolments during the last three years.
• Three units of competency with similar learning outcomes were consolidated and revised to become one unit for FWPFGM3XXX Extract, clean, store and despatch tree seeds.

More information is available in the Summary of Changes Document.

Summary of Consultation to Date

The draft qualifications, skill sets and units have been drafted in consultation with a Steering Committee, Subject Matter Experts and training providers. These people participated in various meetings focusing on the industry skills needs, training and delivery challenges and changes to the training package components during the development stage between November 2020 and May 2021. They also contributed to developing units and provided information on the skills and knowledge required for job roles and tasks. Thank you to those who provided feedback during these activities.

Validation

The revised and developed qualifications, skill sets and units aim to support the current skills requirements within the forest industry, facilitate efficient training delivery and provide visible career pathways to school students, new entrants and existing workers.

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 Forest Management and Harvesting Industry Reference Committee (IRC) for consideration and sign off, before being submitted to the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) and Ministers to consider and approve for publication on training.gov.au.

Summary of feedback and key changes

The following changes were made in response to stakeholder feedback that was received as part of the ‘Drafts Available’ stage, from 18 May to 17 June 2021:

• Four forest growing management and harvesting and haulage qualifications at the AQF level 2 and 3 were consolidated into one qualification at each level, resulting in a Certificate II in Forest Operations and a Certificate III in Forest Operations, with specialisations. The Certificate I in Forest and Forest Products was proposed for deletion as it has had no enrolments in the last five years
• Fifteen skill sets were revised and five developed, including an additional skill set titled Entry into Forestry Roles Skill Set. This skill set will provide learners with the fundamental forest industry knowledge and general technical, health and safety, and communication skills necessary for entry into specialised and non-specialised forestry careers
• At this stage, there was a preference for HLTAID001 Provide First Aid to be an elective unit in the Certificate II and III in Forest Operations. The Summary of Feedback, Responses and Actions Report contains information on why the Steering Committee and other stakeholders recommended this change.
• The content of FWPCOR2XXX Follow fire prevention procedures and FWPCOR3XXX Assess fire risk was further revised in response to recommendations received. These units were updated to focus on the skill requirements in fire prevention and fire risk assessment in forestry operations, rather than on the broader forest and wood processing industry. The revised version reflects the skills and knowledge required to apply fire prevention procedures and continually monitor and assess the potential for fire as part of forestry operations.
• Minor adjustments and updates were made to several units of competency in response to stakeholder suggestions. These units focus on safety and environmental practices, silviculture operations, fire control, work effectiveness and product quality and four wheel drive operations. Some units were consolidated and merged where relevant, as they had similar learning outcomes.
• Five units were proposed for deletion due to no enrolments in these units during the last three years.
• Two units were developed to support entry-level workers in forestry operations jobs, particularly learners involved in school-based VET traineeships and other VET in school programs. Nine units were developed to support workers and operators in forest nursery production operations.

During this time, feedback was collected through the online feedback hub, online consultation sessions, phone and email. A description of how feedback has been considered and applied in these final drafts can be downloaded by clicking on the following button.