The “safe operation of agricultural machinery and new technology” was identified as a priority skill area in the 2017 Agriculture, Horticulture, Conservation and Land Management IRC Skills Forecast and Proposed Schedule of Work (see page 50). Skills Impact, the Agriculture and Production Horticulture Industry Reference Committee (IRC) and the Amenity Horticulture, Landscaping, Conservation & Land Management IRC will take this project through a process that adheres to the 2012 Standards for Training Package Development.

Download the IRC Skills Forecast (see page 50)

Project Scope

This project will review units of competency, skill sets and qualifications relating to the use of new technology and safety measures across a range of mobile farm machinery operations.

Industry has identified important units of competency, skill sets and qualifications that need to be updated or created to incorporate the use of new technology and safety measures in all farm mobile machinery operations within the agriculture sector, including riding quad bikes, tractors, seeders, two-wheel motorbikes and other specialised equipment. Knowledge about the following areas has been noted as particular importance:

• The associated risks and safety measures relating to farm mobile machinery operations
• The serious risks of quad bikes, and particularly the risk of rollover when driving in steep and rocky terrain.
• The use of personal protective equipment and engineering controls that ‘design out’ the hazard.
• The use of active riding skills on motorbikes.
• Skills gap for operating commercial lawnmowers

Relevant occupations

Farm managers, farm workers, machinery operators, local government/council workers, parks and gardens workers and sports turf industry.

Key deliverables

• Review and improvement of 35 units of competency across Machinery and Operation (MOM) and 1 qualification (Certificate III in Rural Machinery Operations)
• Development of up to 5 new units and/or skill sets as identified during review

Timeline

August 2017
Initial scoping

September, October 2017
Review process commencement

November, December 2017
Industry consultation of draft materials

February 2018
Industry validation of final drafts

March 2018
Finalisation of Training Package components

April, May 2018
Independent Quality Assurance, and Edit and Equity review of Training Package components

June 2018
IRC consideration for sign-off and submission for endorsement

Project Team

Subject Matter Experts

Subject Matter Experts will be drawn on throughout this project 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 expertise to [email protected]

Opportunities for stakeholder input:

Below is a list of the current and existing units of competency that will be reviewed as part of this project. To view a specific unit, please click on the unit title.

We are seeking your feedback on how these units could be reviewed to address skills related to the following industry concerns:

• Safety concerns regarding the operation of quad bikes, side-by-side and related vehicles
• Safety concerns and technological advances for other types of agricultural machinery (tractors, crop planting, harvesters, loaders, graders and other specialised machinery and equipment)
• Technological and design solutions
• Operator awareness and training solutions

Your feedback will help us in drafting the revised units.

To provide feedback, please email Ruth Geldard [email protected]

Consultation with Subject Matter Experts, who have broad experience and knowledge of safety and technological issues related to the operation of mobile farm machinery, has occurred throughout September and October. This consultation will inform the development of revised draft units of competency and qualifications related to farm machinery operations. The draft materials will be completed by the end of October and will be available for download and comment from this webpage by early November.

Face-to-face consultation workshops to seek feedback on the draft units and qualifications are also planned for the following locations and dates, with a webinar planned for those unable to attend in person. Please feel free to register for a workshop near you or a webinar by clicking the corresponding link.

Face-to-Face Consultation Workshops

9 Nov 17, 8:00 – 10:00 – Adelaide, SA – register here

14 Nov 17, 8:00 – 10:00  – Perth, WA – register here

16 Nov 17, 14:30 – 15:30  – Darwin, NT – register here

22 Nov 17, 11:00 – 13:00 – Brisbane, QLD – register here

23 Nov 17, 11:00 – 13:00  – Orange, NSW – register here

29 Nov 17, 10:00 – 12.00 – Launceston, TAS – register here

30 Nov 17, 10.00 – 12.00 – Bendigo, VIC – register here

Consultation Webinar

27 Nov 17, 15:45 – 16:30 AEST – Webinar – register here

Thank you to all those who provided feedback on the draft Certificate III in Rural Machinery Operations and units of competency. The drafts were made available on the Skills Impact website from 9 November – 10 December 2017. A series of face-to-face consultation workshops and a webinar also took place throughout November.

The qualification and units were reviewed and updated to incorporate the use of new technology and safety measures in all farm mobile machinery operations within the agriculture sector. Feedback was sought on whether the draft Certificate III in Rural Machinery Operations and units reflect the current skills standards and practices of industry, and whether job functions are accurately described. The feedback will inform the work on the final drafts, which will be available for industry validation in February 2018.

The draft qualification and units that were available for industry review and feedback are listed below.

Thank you to those that participated in the validation process for the final draft Certificate III in Rural Machinery Operations and units of competency, including the new unit for operating tractors with attachments.

All final drafts will shortly progress through the Finalisation stage of the project, which includes quality assurance of the documents and review and feedback from the State/Territory Training Authorities, before the final drafts will be forwarded to the Agriculture and Production Horticulture Industry Reference Committee (IRC) and the Amenity Horticulture, Landscaping, Conservation & Land Management IRC for consideration and sign off. They will then be submitted to the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) to consider and approve for publication on training.gov.au.

Validation means checking and confirming that the documents are logical and factually accurate.

The final draft qualification, skill sets and units that were available for industry validation are listed below.