Viticulture Project
Menu: Click across the green arrows to view active and completed project stages. Consultation takes place at every stage of the project.Case for change
“Working knowledge of vineyard operations, leadership, farm management, irrigation and quality assurance systems” was identified as a priority skill area in the 2018-2021 Agriculture, Horticulture, Conservation and Land Management IRC Skills Forecast and Proposed Schedule of Work (see page 109).
Industry expectations of employees holding an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level 5 qualification are for skills in leadership and management related to their knowledge of vineyard operations. The Diploma of Viticulture and related units of competency from the AHC Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package will be reviewed so they more closely align with current industry expectations and requirements.
Skills Impact and the Amenity Horticulture, Landscaping, Conservation and Land Management Industry Reference Committee (IRC) will manage this project, consistent with the 2012 Standards for Training Package Development.
Project Plan
Project Scope
The Diploma of Viticulture and related units of competency will be reviewed to meet industry expectations for skills in leadership and management in vineyard operations. The outcome will be an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level 5 qualification for employees.
Scroll down to view the qualification and list of units that will be reviewed in this project. They will be incorporated in the AHC Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package.
Viticulture is the cultivation of grapevines and in Australia this includes grapes for wine, raisin and table. It is the largest fruit industry in Australia and grapes are grown all over the country. The viticulture industry is well developed, innovative and using the latest production practices.
Register your interest in the projectSubscribe 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 on the subscription form. |
Relevant Occupations
- Production Horticulture Farm Manager
- Production Nursery Manager
- Viticulture Manager
- Grape Grower
- Vineyard Manager
Key deliverables
Review of the Diploma of Viticulture and 11 units of competency within the qualification.
Timeline
July- August 2018
Initial scoping
September 2018 – February 2019
Development of draft qualifications, skill sets and units
February 2019
Drafts available for broader consultation
March – April 2019
Validation of final drafts
April – May 2019
Finalisation of Training Package components
April – May 2019
Independent Quality Assurance, and Edit and Equity review of Training Package components
June 2019
IRC consideration for sign-off and submission for endorsement
Project Team
| William Henderson | Industry Skills Standards Specialist [email protected] |
| Andrew Horgan | National Industry Engagement Manager, Skills Impact [email protected] |
| Peter Miller | Industry Skills Standards Contractor |
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 William Henderson [email protected].
The Agriculture and Production Horticulture Industry Reference Committee will oversee this project, as part of their responsibilities to support engagement with the sector, and to ensure projects meets industry stakeholder needs.
Qualification and units
One qualification (AHC51516 Diploma of Viticulture) and 11 units of competency will be reviewed as part of this project.
In preparation for the review of these components, we invite you to provide your input on the current qualification and units. We would like to know what changes or updates should be made to the qualification and units so that they meet the skills needs of the industry. Use the links below to view the current components on training.gov.au.
Your feedback will help us in drafting the revised qualifications, skill sets and units.
To provide feedback, please use our feedback form. Alternatively, you can email William Henderson [email protected].
Units of Competency
Units of competency that may be reviewed as part of this project include (but are not limited to):
- AHCBAC505 Plan and mange long-term weed, pest or disease control in crops
- AHCBER501 Manage active operational emergency disease or plant pest sites
- AHCBER502 Mange the implementation of an emergency disease or plant pest control program
- AHCORG501 Develop an organic management plan
- AHCORG502 Prepare the enterprise for organic certification
- AHCPHT504 Develop a grape production plan
- AHCPHT505 Evaluate wine
- AHCPHT506 Manage a wine making process
- AHCSOL501 Monitor and manage soils for production projects
- AHCWAT502 Manage water systems
- AHCWRK501 Plan, implement and review a quality assurance program
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.
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, which is expected in February 2019, and again for validation of final drafts which is expected in March – April 2019. However, your feedback is welcomed at any time, and will help us in drafting the qualification and units. It is important that training provides a skilled and flexible workforce for the future. The qualification and units need to reflect real work experience. So if you work in the sector, Skills Impact would appreciate 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, William Henderson on 03 9321 3526 or [email protected].
Development
Work commenced in September 2018 to review and redevelop the Diploma of Viticulture qualification and 11 related units of competency in the AHC Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package. This work has been assisted by input from a broad range of stakeholders and representatives of the viticulture industry who have been brought together as a Subject Matter Expert Working Group.
The revised draft qualification and units of competency will be available for download and comment from this webpage in November.
Face-to-face consultation workshops will also take place at the locations and dates listed below, 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 on the corresponding link.
Consultation Workshops – Registrations Open!
Thank you to those stakeholders that have been involved and provided feedback and advice so far. The revised draft qualification and units will be made available on this webpage for public consideration and feedback from November 2018 (under the ‘Drafts Available’ menu above). Face-to-face consultation workshops will also take place, across states and territories, 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.
Face-to-Face Consultation Workshops
Mon 19 Nov 18, 1.30pm to 3.30pm – Barossa Valley – register here
Tue 20 Nov 18, 10.30am to 12.30pm – Adelaide – register here
Wed 21 Nov 18, 1pm to 3pm – Margaret River – register here
Wed 28 Nov 18, 9.30am to 11.30am – Hunter Valley – register here
Thu 6 Dec 2018, 9.30am to 11.30am – Yarra Valley – register here
Consultation Webinar
Mon 10 Dec 18, 10am to 12pm – Webinar – register here
Register your interest in the projectSubscribe 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 on the subscription form. |
Drafts Available
The revised Diploma of Viticulture and 10 related units of competency, including one new unit, were made available for review and feedback from 15 November — 16 December 2018.
Feedback was sought on whether the draft qualification and units reflect the current skills standards and practices of industry, and whether job functions are accurately described. They were revised to meet industry expectations for skills in leadership and management in vineyard operations, including more specific language about work activities and functions. Feedback was also sought on the proposal to delete one unit, due to very low enrolments over the past 4 years. It is in relation to implementing an emergency disease or plant pest control program.
Feedback will inform the work on the final drafts which will be available for industry validation in March 2019.
Summary of consultation to date
Feedback on the draft documents was collected via the online feedback hub, face-to-face consultation workshops and webinars. To view the draft documents, including comments that were made on them from people using the feedback hub, please click on the expandable document menus below.
The qualification and units have been drafted in consultation with a Subject Matter Expert Working Group that includes a broad range of stakeholders and representatives of the viticulture industry.
Qualification
This qualification has been reviewed in consultation with Subject Matter Experts to more closely reflect the needs of industry.
| AHC51516 Diploma of Viticulture | View qualification |
The draft documents can be downloaded in Microsoft Word format by clicking here.
Units of competency
| AHCBAC505 Plan and manage long-term weed, pest or disease control in crops | View unit |
| AHCBER501 Manage active operational emergency disease or plant pest sites | View unit |
| AHCORG501 Develop an organic management plan | View unit |
| AHCORG5XX Prepare the enterprise for organic or biodynamic certification | View unit |
| AHCPHT504 Develop a grape production plan | View unit |
| AHCPHT505 Evaluate wine | View unit |
| AHCPHT506 Manage a wine making process | View unit |
| AHCSOL501 Monitor and manage soils for production projects | View unit |
| AHCWAT502 Manage water systems | View unit |
| AHCWRK501 Plan, implement and review a quality assurance program | View unit |
The draft documents can be downloaded in Microsoft Word format by clicking here.
The ability to evaluate grapes for wine production was identified as a skills and knowledge gap. Consequently, a new unit has been developed and will be included in the revised Diploma of Viticulture.
| AHCPHT5XX Evaluate grapes for wine production | View unit |
The draft documents can be downloaded in Microsoft Word format by clicking here.
This unit is being considered for deletion due to low participation and enrolments over the past four years.
| AHCBER502 Manage the implementation of an emergency disease or plant pest control program | View unit |
| 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 on the subscription form. |
Validation
Thank you to those who participated in the validation process for the final draft qualifications and units of competency. The documents were made available on the Skills Impact website from 8 – 26 February 2019. Feedback was sought on whether the draft qualifications, skill sets and units reflect the current skills standards and practices of industry, and whether job functions are accurately described.
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, Conservation & Land Management Industry Reference Committee 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.
Validation means checking and confirming that the documents are logical and factually accurate.
Summary of consultation
Prior to validation, the draft qualifications, skill sets and units were made available for broad industry feedback under the ‘Drafts Available’ menu above, from 15 November — 16 December 2018. The draft qualification and units were reviewed in consultation with Subject Matter Experts, to address the limitations of the current qualification and to ensure the proposed qualification entails all that industry requires of it. Feedback was collected on our online feedback hub, through consultation workshops in Adelaide, Barossa Valley, Margaret River, Hunter Valley and Yarra Glen, and via phone call and email.
A description of how this 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.
Qualification
The qualification has been updated to meet the Standards for Training Packages 2012. The packaging rules have been revised to better reflect job roles and activities. Refer to Qualification Mapping Information on each document to view major changes.
The unit AHCBER502 Manage the implementation of an emergency disease or plant pest control program is proposed for removal from the qualification due to low participation and enrolments over the past four years. Industry has recommended the unit not be deleted, as it is forecast to be included in the core of an oncoming Biosecurity qualification due to release in the near future.
Click here to download a zipped folder of all units in this group.
| AHC51516 Diploma of Viticulture | View qualification |
Units of competency
All units have been reviewed to ensure current practice and terminology, and that skill complexity is appropriately aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
All units have also been transitioned to comply with the Standards for Training Packages 2012:
- Simplified to only include what is essential and required
- Delivery advice now appears in an Implementation Guide
- Description of essential foundation skills
- Assessments strengthened to state frequency, volume and type of evidence required
- Language reviewed for clarity.
Click here to download a zipped folder of all units in this group.
| AHCBAC505 Plan and manage long-term weed, pest or disease control in crops | View unit |
| AHCORG5XX Develop an organic or biodynamic management plan | View unit |
| AHCORG5XX Prepare the enterprise for organic or biodynamic certification | View unit |
| AHCPHT504 Develop a grape production plan | View unit |
| AHCPHT505 Evaluate wine | View unit |
| AHCPHT506 Manage a wine making process | View unit |
| AHCSOL501 Monitor and manage soils for production projects | View unit |
| AHCWAT502 Manage water systems | View unit |
| AHCWRK501 Plan, implement and review a quality assurance program | View unit |
| AHCBER501 Manage active operational emergency disease or plant pest sites* | View unit |
*AHCBER501 Manage active operational emergency disease or plant pest sites was considered for deletion during the ‘Drafts Available’ stage of this project due to low participation and enrolments over the past four years. However, feedback from stakeholders has been to retain the unit and keep it as an elective in the AHC51516 Diploma of Viticulture.
This unit was created to address the knowledge gap within viticulture of grape growers not being able to identify the future flavor potential of a grape fresh off the vine. This unit was originally created solely for wine tasting, but was expanded for the use of table grapes as well.
| AHCPHT5XX Evaluate grapes for wine production | View unit |
Register your interest in the projectSubscribe 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 on the subscription form. |
Finalisation
Viticulture is a branch of horticultural science for the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. While it is commonly associated with the production of wine, viticulture also covers the growing of table grapes to be consumed fresh or as sultanas, raisins or currants. At the start of this project industry identified that the current Diploma of Viticulture did not reflect the full breadth of the sector, focusing too heavily on wine. The qualification also needed to reflect skills in leadership and management that are required of somebody in a management role within the viticulture industry.
Biosecurity has become an increasing concern for Australian viticulture, with an outbreak of the devastating phylloxera aphid in Victoria earlier this year. Individuals with the ability to plan and manage biosecurity measures are integral to the longevity of grape growing in Australia – particularly as many operators rely on seasonal workers during harvest.
“Australia’s geographic isolation has meant that we have relatively few of the pests that affect viticulture industries overseas. Continued freedom from exotic pests is a vital part of the future profitability and sustainability of Australia’s viticulture industry.” (Plant Health Australia)
Specific knowledge of viticulture, including biosecurity, organic and biodynamic practices, soil and water systems is needed to effectively work in the sector. However, this knowledge cannot be effectively implemented without individuals who have the skills to manage and lead a team.
Thanks to the input of a wide range of industry experts, the viticulture industry now has access to an updated Diploma of Viticulture and associated units of competency. The revised diploma includes core units focusing on biosecurity, along with managing staff, soil and water systems. Changes to the qualification and units also reflect the various contexts within the sector – as this qualification needs to be appropriate for all sizes and types of viticulture, not just wine making.
The qualification and units of competency were approved by the Agriculture and Production Horticulture Industry Reference Committee (IRC) and endorsed by the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC), at their meeting on 9 October 2019.
They are published on the training.gov.au website, within the AHC Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package. They are available for use by registered training organisations (RTOs). RTOs can find information to help them adopt to the new changes in the Companion Volume, which provides additional information about the impacts of regulation and licensing implications and workplace health and safety on their training.
Key Outcomes
- AHCPCM501 Diagnose plant health problems moved from being listed as a core unit to an elective unit in the Diploma of Viticulture.
- AHCWAT503 Manage water systems and AHCBAC509 Plan and manage long-term weed, pest or disease control in crops moved from being electives to core units in the Diploma of Viticulture.
- AHCBIO305 Apply biosecurity measures added as a core unit in the Diploma of Viticulture.
- New elective unit AHCPHT507 Evaluate grapes for production was developed to cover skills specifically needed for wine making, with the view that other units should be applicable to viticulture.
Summary of consultation
A Subject Matter Expert (SME) working group was established to identify relevant job roles, along with the skills and knowledge required to perform them. The SME working group was consulted individually via email and phone.
The broader industry was consulted on the draft documents at two different stages – the ‘Drafts Available’ and ‘Validation’ stages. The ‘Finalisation’ stage includes the development and publishing of a validation summary for each project.
A summary of feedback and how it has been considered and applied at each stage can be downloaded below.
Please find below links to the final documents, that are published on the training.gov.au website.
Click here to download the Case for Endorsement
Note that this Case for Endorsement also includes units, skill sets and qualifications that have been developed as part of the Horticulture Technology Project, Sports Turf Management Project and the Carbon & Agribusiness Management Project.
Revised
New
| AHCPHT507 Evaluate grapes for production |