Food safety and advanced food safety auditing were identified as key skill priorities in the 2017 Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical IRC Skills Forecast and Proposed Schedule of Work (see page 46). In addressing the skill need, a full review of the existing food, science and technology and food processing qualifications and their related units will be completed covering all related skill areas. Skills Impact and the Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical Industry Reference Committee (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 46)

Project Scope

This project will review 4 qualifications and approximately 81 units of competency within the FBP Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical Training Package, so that all job functions are accurately described in the training package components, with appropriate current knowledge and skill needs. A focus of this project will be to align units and qualifications with the current rigorous regulations on food and beverage product safety. This will ensure an appropriate response to the food safety and advanced food safety auditing skill needs identified in the IRC Skills Forecast.

Where gaps are identified, additional units may be developed where units do not currently exist in the Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical Training Package, or any other endorsed Training Package.

Relevant Occupations

• Food safety systems officer
• Production line supervisor
• Food testing manager
• Food safety auditor
• Quality control
• Laboratory worker
• Product developer/designer
• Food technologist
• Nutritionist

Key Deliverables

Review and improvement of 81 units of competency in the food science and technology sector, including food safety auditing, and four qualifications (Certificate IV and Diploma of Food Science and Technology, and Certificate IV and Diploma of Food Processing).

Timeline

September 2017
Initial scoping

October 2017
Review process commencement

November – December 2017
Industry consultation of draft materials

February 2018
Industry validation of final drafts

February – March 2018
Finalisation of Training Package components

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

April 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 qualifications and units that will be reviewed as part of this project. Use the links below to view the components on Training.gov.au.

In preparation for the review of the Food Science and Technology components, we invite you to provide your input on the current qualifications and units. We would like to know what changes or updates should be made to the components so that they meet the skills needs of the industry.

Your feedback will help us in drafting the revised units and qualifications.

To provide feedback, please use our feedback form. Alternatively, you can email Danni McDonald [email protected]

Development work has now begun to review and update the food processing and food science and technology qualifications and units of competency from the FBP Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical Training Package. 

In mid-October, the team held workshops in New South Wales and Victoria to consult with subject matter experts in the food processing and food science and technology industry. During these workshops, job roles, current gaps in training, and future trends for the industry were identified. Ongoing changes to the Food Standards and other regulations were raised as having an impact on both the industry and the delivery of these qualifications and units, and discussion was held about how the training package could be updated to be more flexible, to help facilitate these ongoing changes.

This information, in addition to input from other stakeholders, and feedback provided through our feedback register, is now being collated and used to help determine what changes need to be made to the qualifications and units. Drafts of these reviewed qualifications and units will be available for download and comment from this webpage in November.

Face-to-Face Consultation Workshops

13 Nov 17, 13:00 – 16:00 – North Melbourne, VIC – register here

14 Nov 17, 09:00 – 12:00 – East Melbourne, VIC – register here

15 Nov 17, 09:00 – 12:00 – Sydney, NSW – register here

16 Nov 17, 09:30 – 12:30 – Brisbane, QLD – register here

28 Nov 17, 09:00 – 12:00 – Adelaide, SA – register here

29 Nov 17, 10:00 – 13:00 – Perth, WA – register here

4 Dec 17, 10:00 – 13:00 – Shepparton, VIC – register here

Consultation Webinars

30 Nov 17, 09:00 – 12:00 AEDT – Webinar – register here

30 Nov 17, 13:00 – 16:00 AEDT – Webinar – register here

Thank you to all those who provided feedback on the draft qualifications, skill sets and units of competency. The drafts were made available on the Skills Impact website from 9 November – 19 December 2017. A series of face-to-face consultation workshops and two webinars also took place throughout November, to early December. Information sheets providing advice about Food Codes and Standards covered in the proposed qualifications were also available for download. Your feedback will inform the work on the final drafts which will be available for industry validation in February 2018.

Initial research with key stakeholders and employers revealed few real job outcomes. National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) data also showed low enrolments. In order to produce meaningful qualifications that align with current skills standards and practices of industry, the following changes were proposed for the draft qualifications, skill sets and units:

• development of new qualification Certificate IV in Food Manufacturing to replace Certificate IV in Food Processing and Certificate IV in Food Science and Technology
• significant updates to Diploma of Food Science and Technology to better suit industry requirements identified in our research
• removal of the Diploma of Food Processing due to very low enrolments
• removal of a number of Food Science and Technology units of competency due to low enrolments
• development of three new skill sets to address skills in food safety auditing, milk tanker operations and pasteuriser operations
• development of a Diploma of Food Safety Auditing to strengthen the skills of food safety auditors, particularly those who work under the National Regulatory Food Safety Guidelines.

The draft qualifications, skill sets and units that were available for industry review and feedback are listed below.

Thank you to those who participated in the validation process for the final draft qualifications, skill sets and units of competency. The final drafts were made available on the Skills Impact website from 9 – 26 February 2018. 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, before the final drafts are forwarded to the Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical Industry Reference Committee (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. They have been rewritten to reflect the current skills standards and practices of industry, and to more accurately describe job functions.

The final draft qualifications, units and skill sets that were available for industry validation are listed below. A summary of the feedback that was received during the consultation period (between 9 November and 19 December 2017) and a description of its consideration and application in these final drafts can also be downloaded below.

Download Summary of Feedback, Responses and Actions