Training Packages

David Greentree

What are training packages?

A training package is a nationally endorsed and recognised set of integrated components for training and assessment for a specific industry, industry sector or enterprise that can be used for developing and recognising people’s competencies.

Each training package is made up of three key components endorsed by the National Quality Council (NQC). These ‘endorsed components’ are the Competency Standards, the Assessment Guidelines and the Qualifications Framework. When we talk about ‘training packages’, we mean these nationally endorsed components.

When you use training packages for training and assessment leading to nationally recognised qualifications, you must use the endorsed components—they provide the benchmarks for training and assessment and the rules you must follow in assessing competency and issuing qualifications.

However, you need more than these endorsed components to provide adequate learning and assessment services—you also need a range of resources to facilitate the teaching, learning and assessment processes. These are referred to as the ‘training package support materials’ and can include learner guides, assessment tools, professional development materials, trainee record books and so on.

Trainers and assessors have the freedom to choose which particular training package support materials they use to meet the outcomes of the training package and the needs of clients. They can select support materials from a range of sources including from the training package developer or other organisations that develop resources, or they can design or adapt their own support materials.

TAFE students

Training in the Sydney basin

Floriculture

AgriFood Skills Australia continues working to simplify the structure and increasing the level of flexibility within agrifood training packages, to respond to the evolving nature of job roles within the industry.

Training package development revolves around major reviews of six training packages. Linked with these major activities is an exploration of methodologies to simplify endorsed components of packages consistent with National Quality Council expectations, referred to as the Bridging the gap model.

Comments and contributions can be made at any time using the Continuous Improvement Register. The current major reviews are:

Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package AHC09 – a merger of Rural Production RTE03, Amenity Horticulture RTF03 and Conservation and Land Management RTD02
Food Processing FDF03
Animal Care and Management RUV04.

A significant effort has been made to merge three training packages into one: Rural Production RTE03, Amenity Horticulture RTF03 and Conservation and Land Management RTD03.

AHC10 Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package

AgriFood Skills Australia would like to thank all those who provided feedback to this package. Work is underway to review and implement this feedback. As qualifications are finalised they will be sent initially to the key stakeholders for final validation and then uploaded in early/mid February as final drafts. Similarly the units of competency are undergoing final edits before being uploaded..

Under review

Consultation has now completed for Phase 1 of the Seafood Training Package and collated with the 2006 Phase 1 review. Suggested actions were presented in Stage 2 of the consultation and validation process. Feedback closed on 23 November.

David Greentree
Ph: 02 6163 7235
0406 538 849
david.greentree@agrifoodskills.net.au