Timber Merchandising Project
Menu: Click across the green arrows to view active and completed project stages. Consultation takes place at every stage of the project.Case for change
As a result of the review and update of other training packages, there are now imported core units in the Certificates II and III in timber merchandising that have been deleted or superseded with non-equivalent units.
At the same time, work functions require a different range of skills due to an ever-changing range of products. This includes evolving window and door designs and cellular products being sold through merchants.
Timber supply businesses play an essential role in facilitating the journey of raw timber to the consumer. It requires both a foundation of retail skill and specialised knowledge of timber products. These two qualifications and related units of competency require updating to ensure these key industry needs are met.
The Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) approved this project out of the Forest and Wood Products Industry Sector IRC Skills Forecast and Proposed Schedule of Work 2019-2022 (see pages 32-34).
Skills Impact and the Timber Building Solutions Industry Reference Committee (IRC) will manage this project, consistent with the 2012 Standards for Training Package Development.
Download Project Proposal (see pages 32-34)
Register your interest in the projectSubscribe to the Skills Impact newsletter to keep informed about project updates and opportunities to provide input and feedback. Make sure to select ‘Forestry & Timber’ as your industry of interest. |
Project Plan
Timber supply businesses cover a range of activities that provide the link between timber producers and the public. This can include wholesale operators who sell to timber retailers or companies that construct housing or timber products; the timber retailers and timber product companies themselves; and distributors who negotiate deals across the globe. Those working within timber timber supply play an integral role in facilitating the sale of timber and timber products so that they may be enjoyed in our housing, furniture and public spaces.
As a retail sector, the skills required for timber supply businesses overlap significantly with other retail operations. As such, there are several units of competency in the core of current timber merchandising qualifications which have been imported from other areas. Some of these have now been deleted or superseded with units that do not apply to timber supply, creating a significant challenge in providing training in this area. This project will explore options for ensuring that the retail skills required for timber supply businesses are addressed.
At the same time, there are unique skills needed to work in timber supply businesses. While customer service and product promotion make up some of the job role, working with timber and timber products requires technical skills and specialist knowledge to ensure customers receive services and products appropriate for their needs. Someone working in a timber supply business may have to cut material to the right length and angle, as well as care for and store products. They require knowledge of construction and timber types in order to make sure they’re delivering fit for purpose solutions. In addition to this it is important to be knowledgeable in new products and specialised timber products.
The timber industry will be consulted throughout this project to review qualifications and units relating to timber supply businesses. This will ensure these key skills across retail and timber remain consistent with current industry job roles and need.
Project Scope
The project will review and update two qualifications and 23 units of competency, including eight units approved as part of this project and 15 units common across other current FWP Training Package projects.
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Relevant Occupations
- Customer Service / Sales Assistant (Retail or Wholesale)
- Customer Service Officer
- Sales and Merchandising Team Leader
- Sales and Merchandising Team Leader (Timber Products)
- Timber Advisor
Project Team
| Georgiana Daian | Head of Skills Standards Development, ForestWorks [email protected] |
| Michelle Clayton | Industry Skills Standards Specialist, ForestWorks [email protected] |
| Rob Stowell | Industry Skills Standards Contractor |
Project Timeline
July – August 2019
Initial Scoping
August – December 2019
Development of draft qualifications, skill sets and units
January – February 2020
Drafts available for broad consultation
March 2020
Validation of final drafts
April 2020
Finalisation of Training package components
June 2020
Submission for endorsement
Opportunities for stakeholder input
Stakeholder input and feedback is appreciated and welcomed throughout the duration of this project. Stakeholder contribution is essential, so that the units reflect real work experience and training meets the needs and requirements of industry.
Technical Advisory Committee
A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) will be established to provide technical input to the review and development of units. The TAC may include technical industry experts, industry associations, employee associations, regulators and training providers. The support that the project needs from the TAC includes:
- Provide input with respect to the project on areas of industry skill development requirements, job roles and key tasks and activities
- Provide technical expertise that will inform the content of units of competency
- Review and provide feedback to the draft materials
- Provide input to clarify potential differing views on industry requirements
- Share project materials with other experts for their input.
If you are interested and able to volunteer your time to this project, please contact [email protected]
Development
While the skills required for job roles in timber supply businesses overlap with a range of retail occupations, expertise in timber is a necessity of the job. Specific knowledge of timber types and technical skills to measure and cut wood are needed to ensure customers receive the right services and products.
This project aims to redevelop the nationally recognised qualifications for timber sales to align them with the current job roles and the skills needed by employers. These qualifications are known as Certificate II and III in Timber Merchandising, yet industry stakeholders have indicated that this title and the qualifications’ configuration are not adequate for skilling their employees.
Draft Qualifications Available for Feedback
Two new qualifications have been proposed to replace the Certificate II and III in Timber Merchandising. You are invited to provide feedback on these qualifications to make sure they reflect the current jobs and the skills needed by business and by the industry as a whole. Please provide feedback by 27 January 2020, so it can be considered to redraft the qualifications that will be made available for feedback again in February, alongside relevant draft units of competency.
To view the draft documents, please click on the links below. Any comments you make will remain anonymous. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. The feedback hub is also moderated to avoid misuse. For further details, see our Moderation Policy.
- Select the qualification you would like to review.
- You will be asked to register or login (for a free account). Follow the prompts.
- Once logged in, you will be able to post feedback directly on the document.
- Download user instructions
Certificate III in Timber Building Products Supply
The draft Certificate III in Timber Building Products Supply is for people who work in warehousing, logistics and customer sales roles in timber wholesales, hardware and timber supply businesses. It includes three specialisations:
- Certificate III in Timber Building Products Supply (Warehousing)
- Certificate III in Timber Building Products Supply (Logistics)
- Certificate III in Timber Building Products Supply (Customer Sales)
View the draft qualification and provide feedback
Prefer to email us your feedback? You can email your feedback to [email protected]. Click here to download the document in Microsoft Word format.
Certificate IV in Timber Building Products Supply
The draft Certificate IV in Timber Building Products Supply is for people who work in purchasing and sales account management roles in timber wholesales, hardware and timber supply businesses. It includes two specialisations:
- Certificate IV in Timber Building Products Supply (Purchasing)
- Certificate IV in Timber Building Products Supply (Sales Account Management)
View the draft qualification and provide feedback
Prefer to email us your feedback? You can email your feedback to [email protected]. Click here to download the document in Microsoft Word format.
Units of Competency Available Soon
The draft units of competency and revised draft qualifications will be made available on this webpage for broad stakeholder consultation and feedback from February 2020 (under the ‘Drafts Available’ menu above).
Thank you to those stakeholders that have been involved and provided feedback and advice so far.
Please feel free to register your interest for consultation opportunities by contacting Dr Georgiana Daian at [email protected]. Please also follow projects updates by following the newsletter subscription link at the bottom of this page.
Consultation and development activities so far
In August and September 2019, consultation took place with industry experts from nine relevant organisations in Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania. These businesses represent timber product manufacturers (with and without timber and hardware stores), timber traders, buying groups, industry associations (with representation across the whole timber sales supply chain) and training organisations.
Consultations have shown that the timber sales sector consists of three major categories of business, namely timber wholesalers, trade timber and hardware suppliers and timber producers.
The timber sales operations have evolved significantly over the last few years:
- Timber trade sales and the imports of a wide range of engineered wood products is a growing sector due to the ongoing construction of residential and commercial buildings and the sustainable benefits of timber.
- With the growing sales of timber to building construction businesses and trade customers, most hardware stores have transitioned a large proportion of their retail operations to timber trade. These stores have adopted a business-to-business model and a ‘whole of house’ concept.
- Sourcing timber and timber building systems from international markets have placed a greater emphasis on the verification of product compliance with the Australian Illegal Logging Prohibition Act, certification systems, legality verification systems and the Australian Standards for the engineering and design of timber building systems.
- To support the growing complexity of this sector, the IT systems that are available to timber sales operations have also increased in sophistication.
The job roles in timber sales can also be grouped into three functional areas, namely warehousing, sales and purchasing.
Depending on the job area, people require to be skilled in the following areas:
- Product storage
- Packaging and dispatch / loading and unloading / transport
- Customer order
- Inventory / stock control
- Customer relationship
- Purchasing
- Sales account management
Job roles and the skills requirements of people who work at the operational level in the timber supply chain (importers, wholesalers, re-sellers) have also evolved and broadened. Consultations have indicated a clear need for training in the following skill areas:
- Timber product knowledge
- Product certification and compliance
- Timber sales and management and marketing system (software)
Consultations have also revealed that formal qualifications have gained little recognition or significance in the sector for employee recruitment, retention or promotion. Nationally recognised training has been mainly used to obtain a licence to carry out regulated activities such as forklift operation. Trade timber and hardware suppliers have used strategies to recruit experienced tradespersons (generally, these people have knowledge of timber and building products) and skill them ‘on the job’ or through vendor/supplier training to keep abreast of new products and services. Also, there has been little use of traineeships in the sector for entry-level employees.
Register your interest in the projectSubscribe to the Skills Impact newsletter to keep informed about project updates and opportunities to provide input and feedback. Make sure to select ‘Forestry & Timber’ as your industry of interest. |
Drafts Available
Those working within timber supply play an integral role in facilitating the sale of timber and timber products. To ensure customers receive the right services and products, workers need specific skills and knowledge about timber types, correct practices for storage, dispatch and transport of goods and technical skills to measure and cut wood. Skills in customer service and sales or purchasing and managing sales accounts are also necessary for workers in timber supply businesses. Existing qualifications and skills standards are being reviewed and updated as part of this project, so that they reflect the current skill needs of industry.
Thank you to those who provided feedback on the draft units and qualifications that were made available on this webpage for feedback from 23 January – 1 March 2020.
Feedback was sought on the draft documents and whether they accurately reflect job roles and work practices. In particular, feedback was sought on the revision and updating of the Certificate III in Timber Merchandising to the proposed Certificate III in Timber Building Products Supply and the proposed deletion of the Certificate II in Timber Merchandising and one unit.
During this time, feedback was collected via the online feedback hub, email, and a consultation webinar. The drafts, including any comments made on the feedback hub, are still available for viewing below.
Feedback will inform the work on the final drafts which are expected to be available for industry validation in March 2020. A summary of the feedback and how it was addressed in the final drafts will also be available.
Additional Units
Three additional units were revised and drafted and made available for feedback from 6 April 2020 to 1 May 2020. While these units were initially included on the project scope, they were not selected for the Certificate III in Timber Building Products Supply. They relate to job tasks in the broader timber manufactured products and sawmilling and processing industry sectors.
Feedback was collected via the feedback hub, email, and a consultation webinar. The drafts, including any comments made on the feedback hub, are still available for viewing below.
Two updated qualifications are proposed following feedback from industry stakeholders that the Certificate II and III in Timber Merchandising are no longer adequate for skilling their employees.
The Certificate III in Timber Merchandising has been revised and upgraded to the proposed Certificate III in Timber Building Products Supply. The Certificate II is proposed for deletion (see section below titled ‘Qualification Proposed for Deletion’).
| Qualification | Description | Link to feedback |
| Certificate III in Timber Building Products Supply | This draft qualification has been developed for people who work in warehousing, logistics and customer sales roles in timber wholesales, hardware and timber supply and timber manufacturing businesses. It includes three specialisations:
| View draft qualification |
| Certificate IV in Timber Building Products Supply | This draft qualification has been developed for people who work in purchasing and sales account management roles in timber wholesales, hardware and timber supply, and timber manufacturing businesses. It includes two specialisations:
| View draft qualification |
Want to download copies of the drafts? They can be downloaded in Microsoft Word format by clicking here.
The Certificate II in Timber Merchandising is proposed for deletion due to insufficient demand for training from employers and other users. The qualification SIR20216 Certificate II in Retail Services could provide an alternative option for skills required in the workplace at the entry-level.
Feedback was sought on whether the Certificate II in Timber Merchandising should be deleted from the training package.
| FWP20616 Certificate II in Timber Merchandising | View qualification on training.gov.au |
Four existing units of competency have been revised to meet industry skill needs and comply with the Standards for Training Packages. Common changes across the units include updates to the workplace health and safety requirements, defining foundation skills requirements, rewording the application statements to clarify the intent of the units and minor edits to more clearly define the nature and scope of work tasks described in the units. The changes made to each of these four units are outlined below. The draft new units are available to view via the links below.
Want to download copies of the drafts? They can be downloaded in Microsoft Word format by clicking here.
| Unit code and name | Proposed changes | Link to download |
| FWPCOT2XXX Cross cut materials with a fixed saw | Minor
| View draft unit |
| FWPCOT3XXX Access and provide timber and wood product information | Major
Minor
| View draft unit |
| FWPCOT3XXX Prepare timber to meet import/export compliance requirements | Major
Minor
| View draft unit |
| FWPCOT3XXX Provide specialised timber product solutions | Major
Minor
| View draft unit |
The unit listed below is proposed to be deleted from the FWP Forest and Wood Products Training Package. This has been recommended because the unit:
- Has not been selected during industry consultation in the new proposed qualifications
- Has had very low or no student enrolment over the last five years
- Is not listed on in any other FWP qualification or training package
Feedback was sought on whether this unit should be deleted from the training package. Please provide your response to Georgiana Daian [email protected].
| FWPCOT3251 Promote the carbon benefits of wood products | View unit on training.gov.au |
Click here to download a zipped folder of all units in this group.
| Unit Name | Proposed Changes | Link to Feedback Hub |
| FWPCOT2XXXX Assemble products | Minor changes
Major changes
| View draft unit |
| FWPCOT2XXX Cut materials with a hand-held chainsaw | Minor changes
Major changes
| View draft unit |
| FWPWPP2XXX Cut panels | Minor changes
Major changes
| View draft unit |
Summary of consultation to date
The draft new qualification and revised units have been prepared in consultation with Subject Matter Experts. The consultations included face to face discussions with people working directly in the timber products supply industry and site visits to observe these jobs in the workplace. We would like to thank all the people who took part in these activities.
Register your interest in the projectSubscribe to the Skills Impact newsletter to keep informed about project updates and opportunities to provide input and feedback. Make sure to select ‘Forestry & Timber’ as your industry of interest. |
Validation
Workers in timber supply businesses make up a crucial part of the supply chain, facilitating the sale of products and services to individual customers and businesses. Specific skills and knowledge are required for this work, including knowledge of different timber types, technical skills to measure and cut wood, and correct practices for storage, dispatch and transport of goods. Timber supply businesses also require employees with skills in customer service and sales or purchasing and managing sales accounts. Existing qualifications and skills standards are being reviewed and updated as part of this project, so that they reflect current industry practices and terminology.
Thank you to those who provided feedback on the final draft qualifications, skill sets and units that are listed below. The initial drafts were made available on this webpage for validation and comment from 13 March – 29 March 2020. Additional units were also available for validation from 8 – 24 May 2020.
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. They will then be forwarded to the Timber Building Solutions Industry Reference Committee (IRC) for consideration and sign off, before being submitted to the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) and State/Territory Ministers to consider and approve for publication on training.gov.au.
Key Changes and Summary of Consultation
Prior to the ‘Validation’ stage, initial drafts of the qualification and units were made available from 23 January to 1 March 2020, under the ‘Drafts Available’ stage. All comments and feedback were then considered to revise the documents which were made available for ‘Validation’. They were revised to address skills gaps for a range of tasks and job roles within the timber sales and supply industry. The draft Certificate III in timber Building Products Supply was developed to support industry jobs and evolving skills requirements, particularly in relation to the growing sales of timber to building construction businesses and trade customers.
Most notably, the public consultation has led to the decision not to pursue the development of a new Certificate IV in Timber Building Products Supply. This decision was taken in response to feedback from key industry stakeholders which indicated that people in timber sales roles at this level require leadership and management skills rather than further technical skills. The technical skill needs of these people are addressed in the revised Certificate III in Timber Building Products Supply. The leadership and management skills needs of this group are met by existing qualifications in the Business Services and other Training Packages.
Additional units were made available for broad industry feedback from 6 April – 1 May 2020, before being revised and made available for validation. While these units were initially included on the project scope, they were not selected for the Certificate III in Timber Building Products Supply. They relate to job tasks in the broader timber manufactured products and sawmilling and processing industry sectors. Feedback on these units was encouraged from the broader industry to ensure that the units reflect the relevant skills and knowledge.
A description of how feedback has been considered and applied in these final drafts can be downloaded below.
A small change has been made to the number of units in the Packaging Rules. They were reduced to 13 to maintain consistency with similar qualifications across the FWP Training Package.
| FWP3X220 Certificate III in Timber Building Products Supply | View final draft qualification |
| FWP20616 Certificate II in Timber Merchandising | View qualification on training.gov.au |
A small change has been made to the Knowledge Evidence of one units to include sustainability criteria of timber and wood products
Click here to download a zipped folder of all units in this group.
| FWPCOT2XXX Cross cut materials with a fixed saw | View final draft unit |
| FWPCOT3XXX Access and provide timber and wood product information | View final draft unit |
| FWPCOT3XXX Prepare timber or related products to meet import/export compliance requirements | View final draft unit |
| FWPCOT3XXX Provide specialised timber product solutions | View final draft unit |
Feedback received supported this unit for deletion due to low enrolments
| FWPCOT3251 Promote the carbon benefits of wood products | View unit on training.gov.au |
Click here to download a zipped folder of all units in this group.
| Unit Name | Link |
| FWPCOT2258 Assemble products | View final draft unit |
| FWPCOT2259 Cut materials with a hand-held chainsaw | View final draft unit |
| FWPWPP2213 Cut panels | View final draft unit |
Register your interest in the projectSubscribe to the Skills Impact newsletter to keep informed about project updates and opportunities to provide input and feedback. Make sure to select ‘Forestry & Timber’ as your industry of interest. |
Finalisation
Construction businesses and individual consumers alike are dependent on the expertise of the timber supply industry for facilitating advisory and sales services specific to timber. This can include wholesale operators who provide services to timber retailers or companies that construct housing or timber products; the timber advisors, retailers and timber product companies themselves; and distributors who negotiate deals across the globe. Providing an integral step in the supply chain, timber supply businesses require their employees to have skills in timber advice, customer service, sales, purchasing, and managing sales accounts. Just as important in carrying out this work is knowledge of different timber types, along with technical skills to measure and cut wood, and correct practices for storage, dispatch and transport of goods.
Consultation has taken place throughout this project to identify the skills standards for those working in the timber supply industry. As a result, a redeveloped Certificate III in Timber Merchandising was published on the training.gov.au website on 4 December 2020, within the FWP Forest and Wood Products Training Package, with different learning pathways and relevant job outcomes for timber building supply job roles. Now renamed as FWP30620 Certificate III in Timber Building Products Supply, the updated qualification will support all specialist jobs in the timber building supply sector from timber yard and warehouse operators to transport and dispatch coordinators and customer advisors and sales officers. It enables specialisations in timber warehousing, logistics, or customer advice and sales.
A Certificate IV was considered for development, but industry feedback indicated that leadership and management skills for this sector can be met by existing leadership and management qualifications. Likewise, the Certificate II in Timber Merchandising was deleted because of availability of alternative qualifications in timber or sale operations.
I definitely feel the Cert III will be an asset for all staff in our trade store.
Julianne Henry, Dahlsens Building Centres
Key Outcomes
- The Certificate III in Timber Merchandising renamed to Certificate III in Timber Building Products Supply and redesigned to reflect the skills needs of people who work in warehousing, logistics and customer sales roles in timber wholesales, hardware and timber supply and timber manufacturing businesses.
- Proposed deletion of Certificate II in Timber Merchandising, as appropriate alternative training is available at this level.
- Four units revised to update workplace health and safety and foundation skills requirements, and to more clearly define the nature and scope of work tasks described in the units.
- One unit, FWPCOT3251 Promote the carbon benefits of wood products, proposed for deletion as industry has not indicated a need for it, it has had very low or no student enrolment over the last five years, and it is not listed on in any other Forest and Wood Products (FWP) qualification or training package.
- Three additional units revised that were initially included on the project scope, but were not selected for the Certificate III in Timber Building Products Supply. They relate to job tasks in the broader timber manufactured products and sawmilling and processing industry sectors.
Summary of consultation
The qualifications, skill sets and units were revised and developed with guidance from a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). The broader industry were then consulted on the draft documents at two different stages – the ‘Drafts Available’ and ‘Validation’ stages. Additional units were made available for broad industry feedback from 6 April – 1 May 2020, before being revised and made available for validation between 8 – 24 May 2020.
Feedback was collected via the online feedback hub, a consultation webinar, site visits, phone calls, and email.
A summary of feedback and how it was been considered and applied at the ‘Drafts Available’ and ‘Validation’ stages can be downloaded below.
The final draft qualification and units of competency have been endorsed by the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (read the communique) and State and Territory Ministers. They have also undergone an edit and equity and independent quality assurance process and consideration by the State/Territory Training Authorities (STAs/TTAs).
Please find below links to the final documents, that are published on the training.gov.au website. A Case for Endorsement was submitted alongside the drafts, including a rationale of why these changes are needed and evidence of industry support. RTOs can find information to help them adopt to the new changes in the Companion Volume, which provides additional information about the impacts of regulation and licensing implications and workplace health and safety on their training.
Click here to download the Case for Endorsement
Click here to download the Companion Volume Implementation Guide
| FWP30620 Certificate III in Timber Building Products Supply | View qualification on training.gov.au |
| FWP20616 Certificate II in Timber Merchandising | View qualification on training.gov.au |
| FWPCOT2258 Assemble products | View unit on training.gov.au |
| FWPCOT2259 Cut materials with a hand-held chainsaw | View unit on training.gov.au |
| FWPCOT2263 Cross cut materials with a fixed saw | View unit on training.gov.au |
| FWPCOT3302 Access and provide timber and wood product information | View unit on training.gov.au |
| FWPCOT3310 Prepare timber or related products to meet import export compliance requirements | View unit on training.gov.au |
| FWPCOT4210 Provide specialised timber product solutions | View unit on training.gov.au |
| FWPWPP2213 Cut panels | View unit on training.gov.au |
| FWPCOT3251 Promote the carbon benefits of wood products | View unit on training.gov.au |