Meat Processing, General, Quality and Safety Skills Project
Home»Meat Processing, General, Quality and Safety Skills Project
Our Role Establishing Skills Insight JSC
Skills Impact held a Skills Service Organisation (SSO) role between 2016 and 2022. In 2023 we established one of ten Job and Skills Councils (JSCs), after a submission to move into the role was backed by over 200 letters of support from a broad range of industry stakeholders. This new JSC, Skills Insight, has a broader scope to deliver outcomes that support a responsive VET system and a skilled and resilient national workforce. The industry coverage of Skills Insight is similar to our past coverage as a Skills Service Organisation.
The AMP Meat Training Package has undergone a series of small changes over the last five years, designed to meet specific industry needs. While carrying out this work, it has become apparent that the full training package requires a review to meet the updated priorities in the Training Package Development and Endorsement Process Policy and Training Package Standards. As such the Meat Industry Reference Committee (IRC) has proposed a three part project to conduct a full review of the training package, including all 24 qualifications, 446 units of competency and 75 skill sets. In consultation with industry, they will be updated to meet Training Package Standards and improve user friendliness for employers, learners and registered training providers (RTOs). This work will reduce duplication across the training package, improve the ability for employers and learners to choose the appropriate program of learning, and will simplify RTO delivery. This project is the first stage and will include the review of all general meat processing qualifications and the units of competency supporting core skills across the industry.The Australian Industry Skills Committee (AISC) approved stage one of this project, out of the 2021 Annual Update IRC Skills Forecast and Proposed Schedule of Work.The Meat 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.
Australia’s meat processing workforce is made up of an estimated 69,000 highly skilled people, who contribute $45.2bn of revenue annually. In producing high quality meat products for local and global consumers, this workforce relies on a combination of core skills in safety, quality assurance, and leadership. It is important that the qualifications and skills standards that describe these core skills are kept up to date, as they are critical to job roles across the entire meat processing industry.Consultation will take place throughout this project to update qualifications and units of competency that support quality assurance, safety, leadership and general skills in the meat processing industry. They will be reviewed and streamlined to promote flexible career pathways and transferability throughout different sectors. Consideration will also be given to updating the qualifications and skills standards to be in line with current Training Package Standards, so that industry can continue to have access to nationally recognised and supported training and apprenticeships.
Recent projects to update qualifications and skills standards across the meat processing industry have focused on skills needs in specialist roles, such as those within halal meat processing, game harvesting auditing, poultry, meat slicing, and rendering, as well as leadership occupations. It has become apparent throughout these projects that the entire AMP Meat Training Package would benefit from a review to address duplication, adjust units to better reflect the level of task described, and remove skills standards that are no longer working for industry. This project is the first of a three-part process to update the Meat Training Package so that it supports flexible career pathways and is easier to deliver. More specialised industry skills standards that have not been recently reviewed will make up the following two stages of this project.This project will be managed by Skills Impact working with MINTRAC, under the guidance of the Meat Industry Reference Committee.
Project Scope
This project will review the Certificate III in Meat Safety, Certificate III in Quality Assurance, Certificate IV in Meat Safety, Certificate IV in Quality Assurance and Certificate IV in Leadership qualifications and 125 units, with a focus on the core units required for these qualifications.Specialisations or job role streams may be built into qualifications, to support flexible training pathways and remove duplication in the training system. This will also allow for groupings of job roles at relevant AQF levels within single qualifications.
Download a mapping image of the proposed qualification structure
July – August 2021
Initial scopingSeptember – mid November 2021
Development of draft qualifications and unitsMid November 2021 – January 2022
Drafts available for broad consultationJune 2022
Validation of final draftsJuly 2022
Finalisation of Training Package componentsAugust 2022
Independent Quality Assurance, and Edit and Equity review of Training Package componentsSeptember 2022
IRC consideration for sign-off and submission for endorsement
Subject Matter Experts
Subject Matter Experts will be drawn on throughout this project to help review and draft the revised units and qualifications.If you are able to volunteer your time to this project and would like to express interest to be a subject matter expert, please email details of your expertise to Lucinda O'Brien [email protected]
Opportunities for stakeholder input
Stakeholder input is essential throughout the duration of this project. The documents will be drafted in consultation with Subject Matter Experts and their networks. Opportunities to provide targeted feedback will occur when the draft materials are made available late November 2021, and again for validation of final drafts in June 2022. However, your feedback is welcomed at any time, and will help us in drafting the qualifications and units. It is important that training provides a skilled and flexible workforce for the future. The qualifications and units need to reflect real work experience. So if you work in the sector, Skills Impact and MINTRAC encourage and appreciate your input. Please feel free to register your interest for project updates and consultation opportunities by following the newsletter subscription link above. Alternatively, please feel free to contact Lucinda O'Brien [email protected].You are also welcome to subscribe to the MINTRAC newsletter, the MINTRACker.
Stakeholder Consultation Process
A list of key stakeholder organisations has been identified for this project. Skills Impact and MINTRAC will ensure contact is made with each of these organisations to seek their involvement and their views on the draft qualifications and units.If you are aware of an organisation that you think should be involved, please contact the project team to ensure they are contacted by us.Of course, all interested industry participants are encouraged to engage in the consultation of this project, when the draft qualifications and units are available for feedback via this webpage and any other engagement activities. Consultation is not limited to the organisations on this list. This list simply helps us to identify those organisations that, because of their industry role, size or specialty, are likely to have a key interest in the development and outcomes of this project.
D
The Australian meat processing industry relies on core skills in safety, quality assurance, and leadership to produce high quality meat products for local and global consumers. These skills are crucial for the entire industry, so it is important that the qualifications and skills standards that support them are up to date. This project will revise qualifications and units of competency to incorporate these essential skills.A group of subject matter experts have been engaged to provide advice on the skills standard across six potential specialisations or job role streams, including:
tracking and traceability
meat inspection
quality/food safety
leadership/management
operator skills/abattoirs
game.
The subject matter experts have begun reviewing 125 units, as well as the:
Certificate III in Meat Safety
Certificate III in Quality Assurance
Certificate III General
Certificate IV in Meat Safety
Certificate IV in Quality Assurance
Certificate IV in Leadership
Certificate IV General
Consideration has been given to updating job functions; reducing duplication; removing obsolete and under-utilised qualifications and units of competency, and those that do not comply with the current Training Package Standards, to improve RTO delivery and support increased enrolments. Updating the qualifications and units to incorporate specialisations or job role streams will support future work to improve the full Australian Meat Processing (AMP) Training Package. Specialist streams can be added to general or baseline qualifications, as required by industry.
Consultation Webinars - Registrations Open!
The draft qualifications and units are expected to be available for comment on this website in late November 2021, under the 'Drafts Available' menu above. We welcome your feedback and advice on the draft skills standards in this time. Please feel free to subscribe to our newsletter to keep informed of project updates and when drafts are available for feedback. There is also an opportunity to register for a consultation webinar, where you will have the opportunity to discuss the drafts with the project team and other individuals from your industry.These webinars will focus on addressing the skills and knowledge required for work activities undertaken by Meat Inspectors/Safety and Quality Assurance Officers, and leadership and general skills in the meat processing industry.
Training Delivery WebinarsWebinars are also being held specifically for stakeholders interested in discussing training delivery and assessment of the draft skills standards. Please register below.
Core skills in safety, quality assurance, and leadership are essential to the Australian meat processing industry and its workforce of approximately 70,000 people. As such it is important that the qualifications and skills standards that describe these skills are kept up to date, supporting job roles across the entire meat processing industry.Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the draft qualifications and units of competency that were made available on this webpage from 11 November 2021 until 31 January 2022. Feedback received on the initial drafts indicated further significant changes were required for the qualifications and some units. Updated versions of these qualifications and units were made available for feedback from 21 February until 21 March 2022. The documents as they appeared at both of these stages and any comments made are available to view below.
All documents are now being prepared for validation, which is scheduled to take place in May. During this time you will have another chance to provide input on all qualifications and units that are part of this project. Summaries of the feedback received at each stage and how it was addressed in the final drafts will also be available.
Feedback Collected From 21 February Until 21 March 2022
Feedback was sought on whether the additional changes made based on your input reflect the current skills standards and practices of industry, and whether job functions are accurately described.Key changes include:
The Certificate III and IV meat safety qualifications were reviewed as separate qualifications. Initially, the safety qualifications were proposed to be replaced with specialisations in safety in the meat processing qualifications at the same level. However, industry feedback indicated that the separate qualifications in meat safety were needed to describe distinct job roles and regulatory requirements.
Based on industry feedback, two units for micro meat processing premises were developed for the Certificate III in Meat Safety Inspection. For the purposes of these units, a micro meat processing premises is defined by the controlling authority, and as a guide, as operating less than four days a week with a small throughput for one or more species or employing fewer than five workers on the slaughter floor. These units apply to individuals who carry out work as a meat inspector or a meat safety officer in a micro meat processing premises where meat is processed for the Australian domestic market. They must only be selected for workers in micro meat processing plants when 100 hours of performance evidence for assessment is unachievable within a reasonable timeframe. The two units can be found under the heading ‘meat safety’ in the accordions below:
AMPMSY4X14 Conduct ante and post-mortem inspection in micro meat processing premises
AMPMSY4X15 Conduct post-mortem inspection in micro meat processing premises – Wild game
Several units that were proposed for deletion were retained on the basis they are still required by industry. These units underwent review to bring them in line with the current Standards for Training Packages 2012.
Some units underwent significant changes, such as title changes, the addition or retention of prerequisites which had previously been proposed for removal, and the retention of separate units where they were previously proposed for merging.
An updated list of 11 units were proposed for deletion.
Online consultation sessions have been held, where participants had the opportunity to discuss the revised and developed units with the project team and other individuals from your industry.A recording of the webinar held on 3 March 2022 is available below. Please note the recording has been edited to remove comments by participants, to support their privacy.You may also wish to
download a copy of the slides
The qualifications were revised and meat safety was retained in separate qualifications at a Certificate III and IV level. These were previously proposed to be replaced with specialisations in the meat processing qualifications.
Qualification code and name
Proposed changes or rationale
Link
AMP303X22 Certificate III in Meat Safety Inspection
AMPLDR4X6 Foster a learning culture in a meat enterprise
Unit previously proposed for deletion, but retained due to industry need. Unit code updated. Foundation Skills added. Performance Evidence, Knowledge evidence and Assessment Conditions revised.
AMPLSK3X2 Assess cattle according to industry standards
Unit code updated. Title changed. Performance Criteria clarified. Foundation skills added. Performance Evidence, Knowledge evidence and Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPLSK3X3 Assess sheep and lambs according to industry standards
Unit code updated. Title changed. Performance Criteria clarified. Foundation skills added. Performance Evidence, Knowledge evidence and Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPMSY3X2 Recognise signs of emergency animal diseases
Title changed. Changes made to unit application and Knowledge Evidence. Performance Criteria updated. References to specific species removed throughout. Specificity about particular diseases added. Performance Evidence updated.
AMPMSY3X3 Conduct ante-mortem inspection and make disposition
Unit code and title updated. Performance Criteria clarified and duplication removed. Foundation skills added. Performance Evidence, Knowledge evidence and Assessment Conditions revised.
AMPMSY4X1 Perform ante and post-mortem inspection - Ovine and Caprine
Prerequisite returned and equivalence status updated. Performance Criteria, Foundation Skills, Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPMSY4X2 Perform ante and post-mortem inspection – Bovine
Calves added (more than 50kg dressed weight). Prerequisite returned and equivalence status updated. Performance Criteria updated, Foundation Skills, Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPMSY4X3 Perform ante and post-mortem inspection – Porcine
Prerequisite returned and equivalence status updated. Performance Criteria, Foundation Skills, Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPMSY4X4 Perform ante and post-mortem inspection – Poultry
Prerequisite returned and equivalence status updated. Performance Criteria, Foundation Skills, Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPMSY4X5 Perform ante and post-mortem inspection – Ratites
Prerequisite returned and equivalence status updated. Performance Criteria, Foundation Skills, Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPMSY4X6 Perform ante and post-mortem inspection – Camels
Prerequisite returned and equivalence status updated. Performance Criteria, Foundation Skills, Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPMSY4X8 Perform ante and post-mortem inspection – Rabbits
Prerequisite returned and equivalence status updated. Performance Criteria, Foundation Skills, Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPMSY4X9 Perform ante and post-mortem inspection – Deer
Prerequisite returned and equivalence status updated. Performance Criteria, Foundation Skills, Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPMSY4X10 Perform ante and post-mortem inspection – Horses
Prerequisite returned and equivalence status updated. Performance Criteria, Foundation Skills, Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPMSY4X11 Perform ante and post-mortem inspection – Alpacas or Llamas
Prerequisite returned and equivalence status updated. Performance Criteria, Foundation Skills, Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPMSY4X12 Perform ante and post-mortem inspection – Calves
Definition of calves added (less than 50kg dressed weight). Prerequisite returned and equivalence status updated. Performance Criteria, Foundation Skills, Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPMSY4X13 Recognise diseases and conditions during inspection of food animal
New unit. Unit title and application updated. References to LDL removed from Elements and assessment Conditions. Element 3 removed. Performance Criteria added.
AMPMSY4X14 Conduct ante and post-mortem inspection in micro meat processing premises
New unit developed based on feedback from industry about specific skills requited for job roles in micro meat processing premises. It applies to individuals who carry out work as a meat inspector or a meat safety officer in a micro meat processing premises where meat is processed for the Australian domestic market. Feedback is welcomed about the definition of a 'micro meat processing premises'.
AMPMSY4X15 Conduct post-mortem inspection in micro meat processing premises – Wild game
New unit developed based on feedback from industry about specific skills requited for job roles in micro meat processing premises when working with wild game. It applies to individuals who carry out work as a meat inspector or a meat safety officer in a micro meat processing premises where meat is processed for the Australian domestic market. Feedback is welcomed about the definition of a 'micro meat processing premises'.
AMPMSY4X16 Raise and validate requests for export permits and Meat Transfer Certificates
Unit previously proposed for deletion, but retained due to industry need. Unit code updated. Performance Criteria clarified. Foundation Skills added. Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions revised.
Unit previously proposed for deletion, but retained due to industry need. Unit code updated. Performance Criteria clarified. Foundation Skills added. Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions revised.
Unit retained and updated, based on stakeholder feedback. Unit code updated. Unit application updated. Elements and Performance Criteria revised. Foundation Skills added. Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions revised.
AMPQUA3X2 Maintain food safety and quality programs
New unit. Unit title updated. Unit application updated. Performance Criteria 2.4 updated. Performance Criteria 4.3 removed. AS 4696:2007 added to Knowledge Evidence.
Unit retained and updated. Unit code updated. Performance Criteria clarified. Foundation Skills added. Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions revised.
AMPQUA4X20 Monitor the production of processed meats and smallgoods
Unit retained and updated. Unit code and title updated. Performance Criteria clarified. Foundation Skills added. Performance Evidence, Knowledge evidence and Assessment Conditions revised.
AMPQUA4X21 Prepare for and respond to an external audit of the establishment's quality system
Unit retained and updated. Suggested replacement unit has a different focus. Unit code and title updated. Performance Criteria clarified. Foundation Skills added. Performance Evidence, Knowledge evidence and Assessment Conditions revised.
AMPQUA4X22 Specify pork product using AUS-MEAT language
Unit previously proposed for deletion, but retained due to industry need. Unit code updated. Performance Criteria clarified. Foundation Skills added. Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions revised.
AMPQUA4X23 Participate in the ongoing development and implementation of a HACCP and QA system
Unit previously proposed to be merged retained as separate unit. Unit code and title updated. Performance Criteria clarified. Foundation Skills added. Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions revised.
Title updated to be in line with Australian Standards. Performance evidence updated to include: ‘Checked, loaded, Unloaded and cleaned’. Knowledge Evidence updated.
AMPGAM3X3 Use firearms to safely and humanely harvest wild game
Unit title updated. Phrase 'and the relevant state/territory permits to harvest wild game' removed from unit application. Element 4 added to address euthanising dependent young. Minor updates to wording in Performance evidence and Assessment Conditions.
Unit title updated. Performance Criteria updated. Performance Evidence reduced to two (rather than three) to demonstrate consistency of performance. Knowledge Evidence updated. Assessment conditions updated to require co-assessment with a meat processing unit that requires the use of a knife.
AMPA405 Develop and implement Quality Assurance program for a rendering plant
Unit removed from merge with AMPQUA4X1 Facilitate and review food safety and quality programs and proposed for deletion based on industry feedback that it is no longer required
Unit removed from merge with AMPQUA4X1 Facilitate and review food safety and quality programs and proposed for deletion based on industry feedback that it is no longer required
The qualifications and units were drafted in consultation with Subject Matter Experts. They considered feedback that was received out of Workforce Functional Analysis workshops throughout September and October 2021. People with experience across a range of industry sectors participated and provided information on the skills and knowledge required for job roles and tasks, including those with expertise in sectors tracking and traceability, meat inspection, quality/food safety, leadership/management, operator skills/abattoirs and game.The first drafts were available on this webpage for broad stakeholder review from 11 November 2021 to 31 January 2022. During this time, feedback was collected via the Skills Impact feedback hub, email, phone and 11 consultation webinars and meetings. The project team received 505 pieces of feedback on the initial drafts of the units and qualifications.Thank you to those who provided feedback during these activities.A description of how feedback has been considered and applied in draft 2 of the documents can be downloaded below. Please click the ‘Download Summary of Feedback, Responses and Actions’ button.Summaries of all feedback raised on Draft 1 and Draft 2 of the documents will be available during the Validation stage of the project.
Feedback Collected From 11 November 2021 Until 31 January 2022
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the draft qualifications and units that were made available from 11 November 2021 until 31 January 2022.Feedback was sought on the revision and merging of seven meat processing qualifications were into two qualifications, resulting in one at a Certificate III level and one at a Certificate IV level. They contain specialisations to promote flexible delivery and career pathways. Feedback was also sought on units of competency that were revised and updated to include updated skills for tracking and traceability, quality assurance and safety, and to comply with current Standards for Training Packages 2012. Five units were also developed to capture skills required to promote workplace health and safety, working as part of a team, hygiene, sanitation, food safety and quality, and recognising animal diseases and conditions. Sixteen units were proposed for deletion as they are no longer required by industry. Nineteen units were proposed to be merged into three units to better reflect job functions and reduce duplication.For more details and explanations about what changes were made in the development of Draft 1 of the documents, please
download the Draft 1 summary of changes document.Feedback on Draft 1 and Draft 2 will inform the work on the final drafts which will be available for industry validation in June 2022.
Consultation webinars
As part of this stage, there was an opportunity to participate in a consultation webinar to discuss the drafts with the project team and other individuals from industry. These webinars focused on addressing the skills and knowledge required for work activities undertaken by Meat Inspectors/Safety and Quality Assurance Officers, and leadership and general skills in the meat processing industry.A recording of the webinar held on 30 November 2021 is available below. Please note the recording has been edited to remove comments by participants, to support their privacy.You may also wish to
download a copy of the slides
Qualifications
The Qualifications were revised and merged into one Certificate III and one Certificate IV qualification, each with optional vocational specialisations.Key changes include:
Removal of the points system, which assigns points to units as undertaken as part of a qualification, as it is not compliant with Standards for Training Packages 2012
The draft documents can be downloaded in Microsoft Word format by clicking here.
Units of Competency
All of the units of competency underwent changes to bring them into line with the current Standards for Training Packages 2012.Other key changes were made to the following areas to better reflect the skills and knowledge required for the job task, these include:
Titles updated to better reflect unit content
Unit sector updated
Removal of prerequisites where possible
Edits to Elements and Performance Criteria
Foundation Skills added
Edits to Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions.
The following units are proposed for deletion, either because they are not required by industry or there is another more appropriate unit that reflects the required skills. You can provide feedback via the form below.
Unit code and name
Rationale
Link
AMPMGT505 Manage maintenance systems
Indications from industry representatives are that this unit is no longer required
The Australian meat processing industry is made up of a workforce of approximately 70,000 people with core skills in safety, quality assurance, and leadership. It is important that the qualifications and skills standards that describe these skills are kept up to date, as they are essential for roles throughout the entire meat processing industry.Consultation is taking place throughout this project to review and update qualifications and skill standards that describe some of the core skills used throughout Australia's meat processing industry.Thank you to those who provided validation and comment on the final draft qualifications, skill set and units of competency for meat safety, quality assurance and leadership skills. They were made available on this webpage from 17 May until Tuesday 14 June 2022.
They were revised to include feedback received on skills and knowledge required by workers in the meat processing industry. Changes included updates to the equivalence status of some of the draft units. The assessment conditions of most units were updated to require at least three forms of evidence and the assessment conditions of the ante and post-mortem inspection units were updated to include a description of a suitable supervisor for the unit. Further information was added to the two new micro meat processing safety units. A skill set was developed to capture the important role of a mentor in a meat processing setting to support new entrants and retention of workers. Meat safety qualifications have had the proposed entry requirements removed following industry feedback at the validation stage.A Training Package Companion Volume Implementation Guide (CVIG) is also being produced to help deliver the qualifications, skill set and unit. It will include information on assessment conditions of all units, specific advice on the assessment of meat safety units, co-assessment, mandatory workplace requirements, foundation skills, notes about Australian and Industry Standards, and terminology. Feedback was encouraged on the information to be included in the Companion Volume Implementation Guide and on the current teach out period.For more detailed explanations on what changes were made to the final draft version of the qualifications, skill set and units click here to download the Summary of Changes document.The documents and any comments made are available to view below.
Summary of Consultation and Feedback
Thank you to those stakeholders who provided feedback on the drafts that were made available from 11 November 2021 to 31 January 2022, and the additional drafts made available from 21 February to 21 March 2022, under the ‘Drafts Available’ stage. During these times, feedback was collected via the online feedback hub, webinars, phone call and email. The units were drafted with guidance from Subject Matter Experts, made up of workplace experts and industry.Changes to the drafts include:
Equivalence status of the draft units was checked and some determinations updated.
A skill set for a meat processing mentor was developed to capture the skills required to support new entrants to the industry, assisting them in adjusting to the work environment, supporting their wellbeing and promoting retention of workers.
Assessment Conditions:
Assessment Conditions of the ante and post-mortem inspection units were updated to include the following: 'A suitably qualified supervisor must hold this unit [Insert code and title of relevant species-specific ante and post-mortem inspection unit] or have equivalent and current skills and knowledge.'
The following sentence was added to the Assessment Conditions of most units: 'Assessment for this unit must include at least three forms of evidence.'
Meat Safety:
Entry requirements were added to Meat Safety qualifications.
Further information on micro meat processing for the assistance of training and assessment was added to the draft units AMPMSY4X14 Conduct ante and post-mortem inspection in micro meat processing premises and AMPMSY4X15 Conduct post-mortem inspection in micro meat processing premises – Wild game, which can be found under the heading ‘meat safety’ in the accordion below. The following information was added to these two units:
This unit applies to individuals who carry out work as a meat inspector or a meat safety officer in a micro meat processing premises where meat is processed for the Australian domestic market. A micro meat processing premises is defined for training and assessment purposes, as:
• operating fewer than four days a week with a small throughput for one or more species, or
• employing fewer than four workers on the processing floor.
This unit must only be selected for workers in micro meat processing premises when 100 hours of performance evidence for assessment is unachievable within a reasonable timeframe. It must only be selected for training and assessment in states/territories where the controlling food safety authority deems it is appropriate. This unit must not be co-delivered with an 'Ante and post-mortem inspection' unit that requires 100 hours of performance evidence. Users must note that this unit will not satisfy the regulatory requirements for meat inspection work in export premises or larger domestic premises.
Meat inspectors who hold one of the new micro units (without the 100 hours logged for assessment) will need to top up their training and assessment by enrolling and completing species-specific ante and post-mortem unit/s (with 100 hours logged for assessment, or 50 hours for second species) to work in larger domestic or export plants. Details about pathways to work in different contexts, and about how to determine which units of competency a candidate has achieved, will be included in a Training Package Companion Volume Implementation Guide (CVIG).
A Companion Volume Implementation Guide (CVIG) is also being produced to include additional information on:
Assessment Conditions, including principles of assessment, rules of evidence, assessment methods and evidence
Assessment of Meat Safety units, including who is a ‘suitably qualified supervisor’, overlapping assessment, ‘micro’ meat processing units, pathways into different meat safety workplaces and meat safety regulators
Co-assessment
Mandatory workplace requirements
Foundation skills
Notes about Australian and Industry Standards
Usage of terminology.
Descriptions of how feedback has been considered and applied can be downloaded below. The documents that underwent an additional round of feedback and the documents that only underwent round 1 have been dealt with in separate documents.
A Training Package Companion Volume Implementation Guide (CVIG) is being produced to help deliver the qualifications, skill set and unit. It will include information on assessment conditions of all units, specific advice on the assessment of meat safety units, co-assessment, mandatory workplace requirements, foundation skills, notes about Australian and Industry Standards, and terminology. Feedback is encouraged on the information to be included in the Companion Volume Implementation Guide and the current teach out period.
Document title
Link
Proposed Additions to Meat Processing Companion Volume Implementation Guide
New skill set developed to capture the important role of a mentor in a meat processing setting. Mentors require unique expertise to support workers who are new to the industry, assisting them in adjusting to the work environment, supporting their wellbeing and promoting retention of workers.
'Plant' changed to 'premises' throughout. Performance Criteria 4.2 and 4.4 updated. Order of Performance Criteria in Element 3 swapped. Foundation Skill updated. Numbers in Performance Evidence increased to three heads at chain speed to allow for demonstration of consistent skills and updated to specify that head is ‘prepared and presented’ for inspection. Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPABA3X2 Prepare and present viscera for inspection
'Plant' changed to 'premises' throughout. Performance Criteria 4.2 and 4.4 updated. Order of Performance Criteria in Element 3 swapped. Foundation Skill updated. Numbers in Performance Evidence increased to three to allow for demonstration of consistent skills. Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPABA3X5 Use standard product descriptions - pork
Application updated to specify that this unit must not be delivered in the same qualification as AMPQUA4X22 Specify pork product using AUS-MEAT language. Performance Criteria’s 1.1, 2.1, 2.4 and 2.6 updated, 2.5 removed. Numeracy Foundation Skill removed. Performance Evidence updated to ‘three occasions’. Assessment Conditions updated.
Performance Criteria 3.4 updated. Application, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions revised to be ‘food or meat processing' for flexibility. Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPLDR4X4 Manage own work performance and development
Context for delivery and assessment expanded to include food processing, for broader application. Replaced ‘enterprise’ with ‘workplace’ Assessment Conditions updated.
'Plant’ changed to ‘premises’ throughout unit. ‘Department of Agriculture’ replaced with ‘export controlling authority’ throughout. Performance Criteria 3.4 moved to 4.4. Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPLSK2X1 Apply animal welfare and handling requirements
Unit application updated. ‘Stock’ changed to ‘animals’ throughout. PCs in Element 5 renumbered. Performance Evidence revised to one lot of animals. Knowledge Evidence dot points updated. Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPMSY3X1 Apply food animal anatomy and physiology to inspection processes
References to specific disease removed. Pet meat included in unit application and Knowledge Evidence. PC4.3 added, PCs 9.1 & 10.2 updated. Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPMSY4X13 Recognise diseases and conditions during inspection of food animal
Element 2 added. Language throughout updated to refer to ‘common’ diseases and conditions. Lists of common diseases, conditions and parasites included in Knowledge Evidence.
AMPMSY4X15 Conduct post-mortem inspection in micro meat processing premises – wild game
Definition of micro plant updated. Oral Communication Foundation Skill updated. References to 'slaughtering' removed. Knowledge Evidence point added back. Assessment Conditions updated.
Performance Criteria updated. Reading added to Foundation Skills and Numeracy updated. Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions updated.
Performance Criteria’s 1.2 and 1.3 added ‘movement’, 2.4 reordered and removed. National Vendor Declarations (NVDs) ‘facility’ changed to ‘premises’ in Performance Evidence. Knowledge Evidence dot point updated to note specific movement documents. ‘Relevant movement documents’ added to Assessment Conditions.
AMPPKG2X1 Package product using gas flushing process
Performance Evidence updated to ‘three products’ rather than three ‘different’ products as worker might just package one type of item. Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPPMG4X1 Develop, implement and evaluate a pest control program in a food processing premises
Title updated, context updated to include ‘food and meat’. Performance Criteria’s 1.2 and 3.2 removed, 3.3 updated. Foundation Skills and Assessment Conditions updated.
Unit application updated. 'Microbiological' replaced by 'physical or macro-contamination'. Performance Criteria 2.8 updated to include ‘regulatory requirements’. ‘Plant’ updated to ‘premises’ throughout. Assessment Conditions updated.
Unit application updated. 'Microbiological' replaced by 'physical or macro-contamination' and 'carcase' replaced with 'offal'. Performance Criteria 2.8 updated to include ‘regulatory requirements’. ‘Microbiological’ removed from Knowledge Evidence. Assessment Conditions updated.
'Animal’ changed to ‘food animal’ in unit application. Performance Criteria 2.3 ‘insensitivity’ changed to ‘insensibility’. ‘Abattoir and ‘knackeries’ changed to ‘slaughtering establishments’ in Assessment Conditions. Assessment Conditions updated.
Performance Criteria 2.2 updated to read: ‘Set up and follow schedule for daily, weekly cleaning and where applicable fumigation’. Performance Evidence updated to at least one meat product. Assessment Conditions updated.
'Pathological' changed to 'microbiological' in unit application. Performance Criteria 4.2 updated, 4.3 and 4.3 combined. Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPQUA4X5 Oversee compliance with Australian Standards for meat processing
Unit title updated. ‘plant’ changed to ‘premises’ throughout. Performance Evidence updated to include ‘prepared for’ audit, rather than ‘conducted’ audit. Assessment Conditions updated.
AMPQUA4X7 Conduct and validate pH/temperature declines to MSA standards
Updated wording from ‘pH and temperature’ to ‘ph/temperature’ throughout, including unit title. Wording of Performance Criteria 2.1, 2.2, 3.1 clarified. Performance Evidence, Knowledge Evidence and Assessment Conditions updated.
Application updated. Performance Criteria 1.1 removed and 2.2 reworded. References to ‘third-party’ changed to ‘workplace' and 'controlling authority’. Minor edit to Performance Evidence adding ‘mock’. Assessment Conditions updated.
The following units are proposed for deletion, either because they are not required by industry or there is another more appropriate unit that reflects the required skills. Feedback was collected via form.
Unit code and name
Rationale
Link
AMPA3071 Implement food safety program
Propose replacing with FBPFSY3005 Control contaminants and allergens in food processing
Core skills in safety, quality assurance, and leadership are what enable Australia’s meat processing workforce to continue to produce high quality products. These skills are essential for roles throughout the entire meat processing industry. However, the industry has changed over time and skills needs have shifted. Technology is playing an ever greater role and meat quality and safety requirements have been improved to meet the demands of the export market. There is also a higher demand for wild game meat products in both domestic and export markets. Consultation has taken place throughout this project to review and update the qualifications, skill sets and units that describe general, safety, quality assurance, and leadership skills for meat processing so that they are up to date.This project focused on updating qualifications, skill sets and units to reflect changes to currency/regulatory standards, remove duplication across the training package, improve deliverability, and to bring them in line with the current Standards for Training Packages 2012. The updated qualifications and skills standards have been endorsed and are now published on the national training register (training.gov.au).Qualifications have been merged and streamlined where appropriate and specialisations added to support flexibility of delivery and career pathways. The core units and packaging rules of the qualifications were reviewed and updated to reflect current occupations. The nested qualification content and point system were removed to promote flexibility, better reflect job outcomes and bring the qualifications in line with the Standards for Training Packages.
New units were developed and added to qualifications to address current and future job tasks, including skills in communication, meat inspection, recognising diseases and conditions, supporting meat quality and work health and safety. One hundred and seventeen units were reviewed and updated to reflect current skills needs, with proposed merging of some units to reduced duplication and proposed deletion of others that are no longer needed by industry. Two skill sets were developed – one to support skills required for meat processing mentors and one to provide a pathway into the Certificate IV. Another existing skill set in animal welfare was updated. A Training Package Companion Volume Implementation Guide (CVIG) was also produced, including additional advice to help deliver the qualifications, skill sets and units.
A lot of work has been done with existing units that have presented problems for trainers delivering to specific parts of the industry. Changes has been made to enable trainers to bring trainees to a level of competency that meets the requirements of the unit and industry. The updated qualifications will give trainees the opportunity to use recognition of prior learning to gain a new qualification that opens up a new direction within our industry. This has a significant positive influence on recruitment and retention. I look forward to continuing teaching and working with trainees within our industry with the updated standards for meat processing.
Tom Collyer
Key changes
Eight qualifications were reviewed, resulting in five being merged to become two and three being updated with new codes. Changes include:
Updates were made to improve flexibility in selecting electives to suit job tasks and to provide pathways through the meat processing industry.
Packaging rules were reviewed to ensure the combination of units selected is a better match with current and future occupations.
Nested qualification content was removed and qualifications realigned to sit more squarely at the nominated Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) level to better reflect job outcomes.
The point system was removed to ensure compliance with Standards for Training Packages and allow more flexibility in the selection of elective units.
Core units were revised to include only AMP meat-specific units.
New units were added to qualifications to address current and future job tasks, such as meat inspection in micro meat processing enterprises.
Merged qualifications were structured to provide either a general meat processing qualification or a specialisation, including a quality specialisation in the Certificate III in Meat Processing and quality management or leadership in the Certificate IV in Meat Processing.
Mandatory work requirements were retained where needed to ensure users can easily identify requirements and so that the qualifications are equivalent to international qualifications in countries to which Australian meat is exported.
Two skill sets were developed: one for meat processing mentors and one to act as a pathway into the Certificate IV.
One skill set in animal welfare was updated.
One hundred and seventeen units were reviewed, including 15 merged to become two. Changes include:
Industry sector codes were added to unit codes so that users can easily identify broad areas of content, aiding decisions about elective choices.
Updates were made to ante and post-mortem inspection units to include the following: ‘A suitably qualified supervisor must hold this unit [Insert code and title of relevant species-specific ante and post-mortem inspection unit] or have equivalent and current skills and knowledge.’
The following sentence was added to the Assessment Conditions of most units: ‘Assessment for this unit must include at least three forms of evidence’. Previously this assessment guideline was located in the Performance Evidence of a unit, with strong support for this to be located in the assessment with the Companion Volume Implementation Guide (CVIG) to provide suggested assessment methods.
Co-assessment was included for AMPWHS201 Sharpen and handle knives safely. The Assessment Condition requires the Performance Evidence for the unit to be co-assessed with a meat processing unit that requires the use of a knife. This requirement has been added to ensure that the individual can safely sharpen and maintain a sharp edge on a knife while carrying out a real meat processing task.
Seven units were developed to support skills in communication, meat safety, quality, and work health and safety. Two of these units are to cover the job roles of meat inspectors in micro meat processing enterprises that are located in some regional and remote areas.
Three units were deleted and seven identified for potential deletion as part of future projects.
A Training Package Companion Volume Implementation Guide (CVIG) was also produced to support delivery of the qualifications, skill sets and units. It includes information on assessment conditions of all units, specific advice on the assessment of meat safety units, co-assessment, mandatory workplace requirements, foundation skills, notes about Australian and Industry Standards, and terminology.
Summary of Consultation
A Subject Matter Expert Working Group was established to provide advice on the skills standard across six potential specialisations or job role streams, including:
tracking and traceability
meat inspection
quality/food safety
leadership/management
operator skills/abattoirs
game.
The broader industry was consulted on the draft documents at two different stages – the ‘Drafts Available’ and ‘Validation’ stages. Industry from across Australia provided input via the Skills Impact feedback hub, webinars, email, and phone.Descriptions of how feedback has been considered and applied can be downloaded below. The documents that underwent an additional round of 'Drafts Available' stage feedback and the documents that underwent round one without needing a have been dealt with in separate documents. All qualifications, units and skill sets are included in the same summary of feedback and responses for the 'Validation' stage.
The final draft units of competency, skill sets and qualifications were endorsed by the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) on 29 November 2023 (read the communique) and have also been conisdered by the state and territory skills ministers.They have undergone an edit and equity and independent quality assurance process, including support from the Meat IRC. They have also been considered by the State/Territory Training Authorities (STAs/TTAs). They are now published on the national training register (training.gov.au).A Companion Volume Implementation Guide was also produced to assist industry and registered training providers (RTOs) deliver the units, qualifications and skill sets. It contains key information to help trainers adapt to any new changes, as well as 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 part 1
Click here to download the Companion Volume Implementation guide part 2
Skills Impact Ltd is a not-for-profit organisation with a charitable purpose of Advancing Education. Skills Impact acknowledges the previous support of the Commonwealth which assisted in establishing this website.
Skills Impact acknowledges that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have been living in and caring for Australia for tens of thousands of years, and this is respected in line with Skills Impact values. We recognise the challenges involved for people who are not related to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders to understand the importance of their connection to Country. Skills Impact seeks and relies on guidance from Indigenous people in our work.
Download Project Proposal (see page 16) 