Skills in Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) are critical to producing high quality and consistent pharmaceutical products. Feedback from industry indicated that some of the national units of competency used to train learners in pharmaceutical GMP were not accurate to current job functions and work environments.

Collaboration has taken place across 12 Industry Reference Committees to compile the Agribusiness, Food and Fibre Industries Skills Report. The first of its kind, the report attempts to identify common issues experienced across the Agribusiness, Food and Fibre industries. The report identifies key characteristics of these industries as: whole of value chain approach biosecurity, invasive species and pest control sustaining plants and animals ecosystem management digital and automation practices food safety, quality assurance and regulatory compliance farm and value chain risk, … Read More

Your feedback on draft skills standards for sawmilling and timber processing and responding and assisting in bushfires has been collected and used to inform further updates to the draft qualifications, skill sets and units are now available for validation. Based on your feedback during the ‘Drafts Available’ stage: the draft tree hazard and health assessment unit has been re-coded and re-named to better represent its purpose and skill level an additional tree hazard assessment unit has been drafted to address … Read More

Unique skills are required by Australian farmers and irrigators to effectively work with Australia’s various water markets. Consultation has taken place throughout this project to develop national skills standards to support the skills farmers and those with water entitlements require to correctly engage with water trading processes, including the purchase and selling of water, navigating carry over water or continuous accounting options and how to procure, receive and monitor water. Your feedback to date has indicated minor changes are required to … Read More

Feedback has been collected on draft qualifications and skills standards for job roles in permaculture, organic production, composting and pig and poultry farming. Your feedback is now being used to inform further updates to the drafts, which will then be made available for validation.  

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures have developed skills and knowledge for land and sea management activities over thousands of years. Some of these crucial skills are described in nationally endorsed qualifications, skill sets and units that are used to equip leaners for jobs in ecosystem management, conservation, environmental and cultural analysis, and ranger occupations, as well as roles preparing regulatory, government or legislative reports.

The qualifications and skills standards that describe the skills required for the core work functions across Australia’s agriculture, horticulture, conservation and land management industry are being reviewed. Feedback received on initial draft qualifications, skill sets and units indicated that further input is required for the Diploma of Community Coordination and Facilitation and some of the units within it. Originally proposed for deletion, the qualification and units have been reviewed and updated at the request of key industry stakeholders and based on … Read More

The NSW Department of Education is inviting industry to add qualifications to the NSW Skills List for Smart and Skilled Funding by 5pm Friday 8th April 2022. The Skills List identifies the vocational education and training (VET) qualifications eligible for a government subsidy under Smart and Skilled. The purpose of this process is to ensure the NSW Government’s Smart and Skilled program is helping to meet the skills needs of NSW. The Application needs to be submitted via the online … Read More

The next instalment of our Industry Training Advisory Bodies (ITABs) feature focuses on Queensland. Read last month’s about what an ITAB is and what they do. Queensland Industry Skills Advisors ITABs take many forms, and in Queensland, it is the Queensland Industry Skills Advisors (ISAs) that advise the Queensland Government. ISAs work is aligned to the Skills for Queensland – Great Training for quality jobs priorities, of employment, small business, and regional skills needs. As with the WA ITAB profiled in February, … Read More

Tocal College in the Lower Hunter Valley in NSW is on the land of the Wonnarua people. Tocal means ‘plenty’ or ‘big’, which fits perfectly with Tocal’s agricultural aims and its status as one of the largest and most diverse agricultural colleges and RTOs in Australia. With just 14 students, Tocal College was opened by Sir Robert Menzies, the then-Prime Minister of Australia, in 1965. Today there are more than 220 graduates per year and over 4,000 participants in its skills training … Read More

According to the NCVER data there were 22,630 people who had commenced an apprenticeship or traineeship in the Australian agribusiness, food and fibre industries from early 2020 to June 2021. This was an increase of 3,255 new trainees or apprentices (or an increase of 65 percent) in the June quarter compared to the same period in 2020. In the June quarter 2021, 1,200 learners completed their courses, which was an increase of 19.4% on the June 2020 period.   Why … Read More

Latest data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) show apprentice and trainee commencements grew nationally to 47,785 (or by 114.0%) in the June quarter 2021 compared with the same quarter in 2020. The rise in the June quarter continues the trend from the previous two quarters in which commencements increased by 40% from the March quarter 2020 to 2021 and by 150% from the December quarter 2019 to 2020. The increase in the June quarter was reported … Read More