The following projects have been endorsed by the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) and will soon be published.
Companion Animal Incident Management Project
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the development of units and skill sets for small companion animal incident management. The drafts were endorsed by the AISC on 1 June 2022 (read the communique), and are now being considered by the State and Territory Skills Ministers. Once approved, the documents will be published on the National Training Register (training.gov.au).
In the case of an incident like a fire or flood, it take a coordinated effort to manage the safety of pets and their owners. Following the 2019-20 Australian Bushfires, the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements made recommendations for ‘national consistency in training and competency standards’ to encourage resource and information sharing, and to enable ‘someone trained in one state or territory to work effectively in another’.
As a result of your input into this project, seven units have been developed and one reviewed to describe the skills involved in all stages of companion animal rescue. Four skill sets were also developed to capture the skills required for different roles performed in companion animal incident management. The Companion Volume: Animal Incident Management User Guide was also updated to include information relevant to the rescue of companion animals.
For more information, visit the project page
Trainers of Assistance Dogs Project
Thank you to those who contributed to the development of units and skill sets for trainers of assistance dogs. The final drafts were been endorsed by the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) on 1 June 2022 (read the communique), and are now being considered by the State and Territory Skills Ministers. Once approved, the documents will be published on the National Training Register (training.gov.au).
As evidence and awareness of the benefits of assistance animals grows, assistance dogs are being used to help with an increasing range of conditions. This is causing high demand for professionals with skills to train assistance dogs. With long wait lists at Assistance Dogs Australia and Guide Dogs Australia, many people are turning to independent dog trainers.
Thanks to the input of all involved in this project, five units and two skill sets were developed to reflect the skills required to work with handlers and dogs to train dogs and foster successful partnerships for all involved. The Certificate IV in Animal Behaviour and Training was also updated to include the new units and a specialisation for assistance dog training was added. The Trainers of Assistance Dogs User Guide was updated to provide additional information to assist RTOs with delivery. This will support greater consistency in how assistance dogs are trained around the country.
For more information, visit the project page
