The majority of retail butchers use electric slicers to cut both fresh and cooked meats. There are specific skills and knowledge required of workers to safely and effectively use the equipment, to prevent injury and cross-contamination.

Industry has identified the need for a unit of competency capturing the skills required to operate electric slicers, specific to the context of retail butchers, as none currently exists. There is a unit from the smallgoods manufacturing sector which may be suitable, titled AMPS207 Slice product using simple machinery. The unit application states the unit is for use in a smallgoods manufacturing establishment, so reviewing and updating this unit to a cross-sector meat industry unit is necessary. This would mean there would be no need to create a new unit. Instead, the updated unit could be used by retail and other sectors such as poultry, and could also be imported by other training packages such as the FBP Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical Training Package.

Retail butchers are valued for the skill with which they prepare meat to customers’ specifications. In doing so, expertise is required to work with a range of equipment, including electric slicers, which are used to cut a range of fresh and cooked meats – such as ham, roast beef, chorizo, salami and steamed chicken breast. Skills to work safely and effectively with slicing equipment are essential in producing high quality, safe meat products and preventing workplace injury.

Currently, there is no unit within in the Certificate III in Meat Processing (Retail Butcher) that covers the use of an electric slicer in a retail meat premises. Consultation will take place throughout this project to address the need for these skills to be supported within the qualification. This will involve the review of an existing unit, AMPS207 Slice product using simple machinery, which captures the skills required for meat slicing, but is specific to the smallgoods manufacturing sector.

Relevant Occupations

• Butchers
• Retail sales people (deli)

Timeline

December 2020
Initial scoping

February 2021
Development of draft qualifications, skill sets and units

March 2021
Drafts available for broad consultation

April 2021
Validation of final drafts

May 2021
Finalisation of Training Package components

June 2021
Independent Quality Assurance, and Edit and Equity review of Training Package components

July 2021
IRC consideration for sign-off and submission for endorsement

Unit Under Review

The unit of competency AMPS207 Slice product using simple machinery is proposed for review, so that it can be updated to meet the needs of retail butchers and the meat industry more broadly. You are welcome to provide input on what changes or updates should be made to the unit so that they meet the skills needs of the industry.

Click here to view the unit on training.gov.au.

The following qualifications incorporate this unit:

• AMP20116- Certificate II in Meat Processing (Food Services)
• AMP31016- Certificate III in Meat Processing (Smallgoods – Manufacture)
• AMP20216- Certificate II in Meat Processing (Smallgoods)
• AMP30916- Certificate III in Meat Processing (Smallgoods – General)
• AMP20117- Certificate II in Meat Processing (Food Services)

The following skill sets incorporate this unit:

• AMPSS00052- Produce Smoked Meat Products Skill Set
• AMPSS00049- Produce Cooked Fermented Meat Products Skill Set
• AMPSS00012- Cook and Process Meats for Meat Retail Product Range Skill Set
• AMPSS00051- Produce Dried Meat Products Skill Set
• AMPSS00053- Produce UCFM Products Skill Set
• AMPSS00050- Produce Cooked Meat Products Skill Set

A competent and reliable butcher has superb knife skills and will operate meat slicing equipment with a high degree of expertise and safety. However many people use slicing equipment across the industry and this project is looking at the specific skills to slice meat across various sectors, including butchery, small goods and retail. The current unit of competency to describe the skills standards for this work is specific to the smallgoods sector only. This project will consult industry to update the unit, so that it can be made appropriate for broader use across the meat industry.

The unit will be revised to reflect contemporary skills, new technology and current terminology relevant to working with electric meat slicers across the meat industry. Consideration will also be given to making the unit suitable for a range of other users, including use by other sectors of the meat industry such as poultry, and importing the unit to other training packages such as the FBP Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical Training Package.

Subject matter experts have been engaged to review the skills outlined in the existing unit of competency for slicing product appropriate for cross sector outcomes and in addition, to see how it can be updated to reflect new technology and current terminology.

Development outcomes and next steps

Broad stakeholder consultation is scheduled to commence in April 2021 when the draft unit AMPS207 Slice product using simple machinery will be made available for comment on this webpage. Your input is welcome, please feel free to register your interest to keep informed of project updates and when the draft unit available for feedback

A high degree of knife and safety skills are required to operate meat slicing equipment, with many professionals across the industry requiring these skills. The current unit of competency to support electric slicing skills is specific to the smallgoods sector only. Consultation is taking place throughout this project to broaden this unit, so that it addresses the skills required to slice meat across various sectors, including butchery, small goods and retail. Consideration will also be given to making the unit suitable for use by other sectors of the meat industry such as poultry, and importing the unit to other training packages such as the FBP Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical Training Package. Six skill sets that already contain the existing unit are also being updated, to reflect changes to the unit.

The draft unit Slice product using simple machinery and six skill sets that contain this unit have been reviewed and revised in consultation with subject matter experts.

Thank you to everybody that provided feedback on the draft unit and skill sets that were made available for review and feedback from 31 March – 3 May 2021.

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

Feedback was invited on whether the revised unit and skill sets reflect the current skills standards and practices of industry, whether job functions are accurately described, and whether it is accurate and accessible to job roles across the sector, including retail butchers.

The application and skills within the unit have been updated to address competency outcomes in meat slicing across the sector, including skills to work safely and implement work health and safety processes.

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

Many professionals involved in the meat processing industry require the skills to safely operate meat slicing equipment. Currently these skills are captured in one unit of competency, which is specific to the smallgoods sector. As part of this project, the unit AMPS207 Slice product using simple machinery is being reviewed and updated, to make it appropriate for use across the various sectors that use these skills, including butchery, small goods and retail. In broadening the unit, consideration will also be given to making it suitable for use in other sectors, such as poultry and food processing. As a result of changes to the unit, six skill sets that contain this unit will also be updated.

The draft unit Slice product using simple machinery and six skill sets that contain this unit have now been reviewed and revised in consultation with subject matter experts and to reflect stakeholder feedback.

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the final draft unit and skill sets that were made available for validation from 14-30 May 2021. You can still view the documents and any comments made below.

Download Summary of Feedback, Responses and Actions