C

In forestry regions around the country, school students need to be able to access school-based vocational education or apprenticeships that provide a career path into a range of forestry job roles. The forest growing, management and harvesting industry is aging, with the highest proportion of employees represented in the age group of between 53 and 68. Employers are consistent in their message that a high priority for the industry is attracting young people. This project proposes a review of entry level qualifications to support this industry goal, so they can be delivered in a school environment.The Australian Industry Skills Committee (AISC) approved this project, out of the 2020 Annual Update to the IRC Skills Forecast and Proposed Schedule of Work.The Forest Management and Harvesting Industry Reference Committee (IRC) will oversee this project as part of their responsibility to support engagement with the sector, and to ensure the project meets industry stakeholder needs.Skills Impact and ForestWorks will manage this project, consistent with the 2012 Standards for Training Package Development.Download Project Proposal (see page 58)

P

Demand for skilled workers is strong in the forest industry. Local and global markets continue to seek out a range of products, from new wood-fibre based plastic alternatives to the softwood used to build new homes. To meet this need in a sustainable way, the Federal Government has committed to planting an additional billion trees over the next decade. This is in addition to the 70 million trees already planted each year. Attracting and training new entrants are high priorities for the Regional Forestry Hubs in their plans to deliver on this commitment and address future skills needs in regional Australia.Feedback from industry to date has indicated that the national entry level qualifications could be broadened to better meet current skills needs and attract new young entrants. Australian plantation forests, which provide the majority of Australia’s timber, are located in regional and sometimes remote locations. School students in these regions should be able to access school-based VET training or apprenticeships that provide a career path into a range of forestry roles and equip them with the skills they need to get started.

Project Scope

• FWP10116 Certificate I in Forest and Forest Products
• FWP20116 Certificate II in Forest Growing and Management
• FWP20216 Certificate II Harvesting and Haulage
• FWP30116 Certificate III in Forest Growing and Management
• FWP30216 Certificate III in Harvesting and Haulage
• 44 units of competency from the above qualifications
• 17 skill sets related to the forest operations

• New units of competency for skills by using harvesting simulators
• New skill sets subject to consultations

Project Team

Subject Matter Experts 

Opportunities for stakeholder input

Stakeholder Consultation Process

D

Local and global markets continue to seek out a range of wood and timber products, from new wood-fibre based plastic alternatives to the softwood used to build new homes. To meet this need in a sustainable way, the Federal Government has committed to planting an additional billion trees over the next decade. These forces are driving a strong demand for skilled workers in the forest industry, which means attracting young people to a career in forestry is a high priority.As part of this project, work is underway to review entry level forestry qualifications and relevant units of competency, so that school students, school leavers and other new entrants have access to clear career pathways into a range of forestry roles. More flexible and tailored entry-level qualifications and units of competency would help promote easier delivery and young peoples' participation in forestry-related VET in school programs.

• The potential to use forestry machine simulators in providing young people with an introduction to the mechanised operations. Simulator-based training would not offer young people the skills to operate forestry machines in the workplace, but it may identify people with an aptitude and inclination for forest operations roles, providing a more robust employment pathway.
• The need to entry level students to be introduced to a broader range of new technology used in forestry, such as small-scale drones.
• The need for future qualifications to support students to develop industry knowledge by learning industry concepts and how the industry works.
• The need to significantly update units of competency for forest nursery production within the current FWP qualifications, as industry has indicated they do not provide for the specialist skills and knowledge required within the forest nursery production operations. It is important that these skills are supported, as industry has indicated a lack of younger people coming into the industry and an increasing demand for qualified staff especially after the 2019-2020 bushfires.
• The need to support soft skills, to prepare students to navigate workplaces were also mentioned during the consultations.

Development outcomes and next steps

C

Attracting and training new entrants is a high priority for the forestry industry, due to high demands for products from forests. Demand is high in local and global markets for a range of products, from new wood-fibre based plastic alternatives to the softwood used to build new homes. The Federal Government has committed to planting an additional billion trees over the next decade, in addition to the 70 million trees already planted each year, to help meet this demand in a more sustainable way. New entrants are needed for jobs in Regional Forestry Hubs to help address future skills needs in regional Australia.School students living in regional areas where Australian plantation forests are located should be able to access school-based VET training or apprenticeships that provide a career path into a range of forestry roles and equip them with the skills they need to get started. As part of this project, qualifications and skills standards for entry level forestry roles are being revised and broadened to better meet current skills needs and attract new young entrants.

Overview of Key Changes

• Four forest growing management and harvesting and haulage qualifications at the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level II and III were consolidated into one qualification at each level, resulting in a Certificate II in Forest Operations and a Certificate III in Forest Operations. The qualifications are designed to offer specialisations in Forest Nursery Production, Silviculture and Timber Harvesting and Haulage. Units of competency from the Foundation Skills Training Package have been included in the qualifications to allow for soft skills development so that young learners are prepared to navigate workplaces.
• The Certificate I in Forest and Forest Products was proposed for deletion as it has had no enrolment in the last five years. All units within the qualification are included in the proposed Certificate II in Forest Operations.
• Two skill sets were developed for plantation establishment and silviculture workers to support the industry to overcome the workforce shortage due to the 2019-2020 bushfire season and COVID-19 travel restrictions. The skill sets can be used as short course training to upskill workers to do a specific job or as an entry pathway to further training. Another two skill sets have been developed for the job roles of excavator operators and skid steer loader operators.
• Two units of competency were developed to encourage young people to participate in forestry-related VET in school programs. The units allow for training that supports learners in developing a contemporary view of the industry and interacting with forestry technology and operations through forestry machine simulators.
• Units were also created to support skill development for jobs in forest nursery production operations. These skills are currently in high demand due to the need to generate new tree stock to replenish extensive forest areas burnt out during the recent bushfires.
• Five units of competency were proposed for deletion due to no enrolments during the last three years.
• Three units of competency with similar learning outcomes were consolidated and revised to become one unit for FWPFGM3XXX Extract, clean, store and despatch tree seeds.

Summary of Consultation to Date

V

The forestry industry is focused on attracting and training new entrants to keep up with demand for forest products and government commitments to plant more trees. Forest products such as new wood-fibre based plastic alternatives and the softwood used to build new homes continue to be in high demand across global and local markets. To meet this demand more sustainably, the Federal Government has committed to planting an additional billion trees over the next decade, in addition to the 70 million trees already planted each year. New entrants to the forestry industry are needed in Regional Forestry Hubs to deliver on this commitment, meet product demand and address future skills needs in regional Australia.As part of this project, qualifications and skills standards are being update to better support a career path into a range of forestry roles and equip new entrants with the skills they need to get started.Thank you to those who provided feedback on the final draft qualifications, skill sets and units of competency that were made available for validation and comment from 22 June to 14 July 2021. You can still view the documents and any comments made below.

Summary of feedback and key changes

• Four forest growing management and harvesting and haulage qualifications at the AQF level 2 and 3 were consolidated into one qualification at each level, resulting in a Certificate II in Forest Operations and a Certificate III in Forest Operations, with specialisations. The Certificate I in Forest and Forest Products was proposed for deletion as it has had no enrolments in the last five years
• Fifteen skill sets were revised and five developed, including an additional skill set titled Entry into Forestry Roles Skill Set. This skill set will provide learners with the fundamental forest industry knowledge and general technical, health and safety, and communication skills necessary for entry into specialised and non-specialised forestry careers
• At this stage, there was a preference for HLTAID001 Provide First Aid to be an elective unit in the Certificate II and III in Forest Operations. The Summary of Feedback, Responses and Actions Report contains information on why the Steering Committee and other stakeholders recommended this change.
• The content of FWPCOR2XXX Follow fire prevention procedures and FWPCOR3XXX Assess fire risk was further revised in response to recommendations received. These units were updated to focus on the skill requirements in fire prevention and fire risk assessment in forestry operations, rather than on the broader forest and wood processing industry. The revised version reflects the skills and knowledge required to apply fire prevention procedures and continually monitor and assess the potential for fire as part of forestry operations.
• Minor adjustments and updates were made to several units of competency in response to stakeholder suggestions. These units focus on safety and environmental practices, silviculture operations, fire control, work effectiveness and product quality and four wheel drive operations. Some units were consolidated and merged where relevant, as they had similar learning outcomes.
• Five units were proposed for deletion due to no enrolments in these units during the last three years.
• Two units were developed to support entry-level workers in forestry operations jobs, particularly learners involved in school-based VET traineeships and other VET in school programs. Nine units were developed to support workers and operators in forest nursery production operations.