Work has begun on a number of new projects, with more information available on the Skills Impact website. At present these projects are in the “Project Plan” stage, meaning the Subject Matter Expert group for each project is in the process of being assembled and initial work has begun on planning the logistics of each project.
Conservation and Land Management Project
Conservation and Land Management work is relevant to all Australians, conserving and rehabilitating our unique natural resources. This project will review units relevant to Conservation and Land Management and it’s numerous sub-sectors, including lands, parks and wildlife; natural area restoration; conservation earthworks; and pest management. The review will focus on broad consultation to address the geographically and culturally diverse context of this work and to support skills in field work.
Agronomy Project
Agronomy involves the study of how environmental factors can be managed to increase the productivity and sustainability of agricultural practices. Technical expertise in agronomy is needed to support farmers in adopting such techniques, but no relevant national VET qualification currently exists. This project aims to develop a nationally recognised Diploma of Agronomy.
Biosecurity and Emergency Response Project
Australia’s agricultural produce owes its good reputation to strong biosecurity measures. Biosecurity skills are required at every stage of the value chain, from purchasing through to growing, transport and sales. This project will identify the skills standards for preventing and managing biosecurity issues and benchmark these to job roles and activities.
Food and Beverage Processing Project
Consumers want to know more about the origins, contents and packaging of their food. As a result, industry have developed skills and knowledge in areas relating to the traceability, sustainability, and manufacture of food. This project will review five of the most commonly used food processing qualifications and their related units of competency, in order to reflect these changes.
Medicinal Crops Project
Medicinal crops are a growing industry in many countries, including Australia. With new legislation allowing the production of cannabis for medical purposes and the longstanding use of opium poppies in pain relief, new skills are emerging for the production of such crops. As part of this project new units will be developed to address the specific skills required in growing and harvesting cannabis and poppies.
Other Projects Starting Soon
Several other new projects are in the initial planning stages. Project webpages will be published over the next two months, containing further details about the scope, relevant occupations, skills that will be addressed, a timeline and consultation process.
Agriculture, Horticulture, Conservation & Land Management
- Merchandising operations and sales
- Nursery production; plant culture & maintenance; soils & media; production horticulture & water
Animal Care & Management
- Review of animal studies, companion animals, animal control and regulation and pet grooming qualifications
- Captive animals and marine animal rescue
Aquaculture & Wild Catch
- Skills for future fishtech & aquabotics in real-time, distant operations
Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical
- Wine operations
- Pharmaceutical bioprocessing
Forestry & Timber
- Review of Certificates II and III in Timber Merchandising
- New harvesting technologies
- Timber truss and frame estimating and design
Meat Processing
- Review of the Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Meat Processing
- Halal meat processing
- Game harvesting
- Poultry processing