SKILL SETS. MSA Skill Sets: Background Information 1

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1 SKILL SETS What is a skill set? Skill sets are defined as single units of competency, or combinations of units of competency from an endorsed Training Package, which link to a licence or regulatory requirement, or defined industry need. Skill Sets may: 1. have a commonly understood meaning in the industry e.g. safety and work practice units that address worksite induction requirements 2. meet requirements set by an agency external to the VET sector e.g. units that have been identified to meet licensing requirements 3. constitute a specialist role that benefits from separate identification e.g. project management units that enable the individual to lead projects in their area of expertise 4. be a useful addition to a general qualification e.g. a set of small business units that enable someone with a technical qualification to take on some specific small business functions. The key benefits of identifying skill sets include that: training and assessment activities can be targeted to ensure specific skill requirements are achieved developmental options for employers and individuals are increased, with structured advice provided when full qualifications are not required to achieve specified outcomes specific skill groupings will achieve national recognition and portability advice is provided to ensure packaging of qualifications includes specific skill requirements, such as licensing requirements licensing and regulatory authorities can more easily determine an applicant s suitability to be granted a licence Some background information The High Level Review of Training Packages undertaken by the Australian National Training Authority in 2001 identified that significant numbers of those undertaking training against national Training Packages were aiming to achieve specific skills rather than whole qualifications. This reflected a growing interest from industry for more flexible training options to meet specific skill needs. However, under the previous recognition requirements, people completing specific units were awarded a statement of attainment for a partial completion of a full qualification, rather than full achievement of specific set of skills. It was found that this did not adequately recognise or position specific skill groupings as a valuable, carefully targeted training outcome. MSA Skill Sets: Background Information 1

2 Further examination of the role of skill sets was undertaken by The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) and the National Quality Council (NQC), and a number of key directives for skill sets were established. These included that: more weight was to be given to skill sets within Training Packages, while still maintaining the importance of full qualifications the market standing of Statements of Attainment be enhanced, including repositioning them to provide clear advice on achievement skill sets be developed to reflect industry demand and recognition Industry Skills Councils identify skill sets within their Training Packages and provide clear advice on their use and application Industry Skills Councils have been contracted by Department of Education, Employment, and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) to identify and integrate skill sets into their Training Packages. How skill sets are identified Skill sets are identified by the relevant Industry Skills Council through consultation with industry and regulatory/licensing authorities. MSA will continue to identify skills sets within its Training Packages that would benefit the manufacturing industries. RTOs may also identify combinations of units to meet enterprise or individual needs. Principles for the development of skill sets There are 3 main principles to the development of skill sets: 1. Skill sets are to be developed in the same manner as Training Packages generally i.e. by considering logical skill clusters that meet industry needs and have recognised value in the workplace, and ensuring industry consultation throughout the process. 2. Where skill sets are included in Training Packages, the target groups should be clearly defined. 3. The identification and development of skill sets within Training Packages should increase, rather than decrease, available skill development options for individuals and enterprises. Protocols Training Package developers must apply the following protocols when identifying and defining skill sets. Protocol 1: the extent of industry need for a skill set must be considered and validated. Protocol 2: the relationship between skill sets and between skill sets and qualifications must be clearly identified for Training Package users. Protocol 3: The Training Package customisation and packaging guidelines must be designed to encourage the use of proposed unit combinations. Protocol 4: Identified skill sets should be noted and relevant information provided within the Qualifications section of the Training Package. Protocol 5: Where a skill set includes units from more than one Training Package, units may be imported or importation advice provided for Registered Training Organisations. MSA Skill Sets: Background Information 2

3 Recognition of skill sets Skill sets will be recognised by a Statement of Attainment. New protocols in wording for these statements include that: It is not mandatory to include the statement in partial completion of xx qualification It is mandatory to include the statement: A Statement of Attainment is issued by a Registered Training Organisation when an individual has completed one or more units of competency from nationally recognised qualification(s)/courses(s) (revised 2007). the Statement of Attainment will contain the name of the skill set and a statement to indicate whether the skill set meets a licensing or regulatory requirement or an identified industry need. RTO identified skill sets may only list the units on the Statement of Attainment but any reference to meeting particular needs must be on a separate document to provide a distinction between a Training Package skill set and a locally devised one. Example: STATEMENT OF ATTAINMENT A Statement of Attainment is issued by a Registered Training Organisation when an individual has completed one or more units of competency from nationally recognised qualification(s)/course(s) <NAME OF RTO AND RTO CODE> This is a statement that JANE SMITH has attained Restricted Electrical License Class 2 Skill Set (disconnect/reconnect up to 1000 volts a.c./1500 volts d.c.) MEM18049B Disconnect/reconnect fixed wired equipment up to 1000 volts a.c./1500 volts d.c. MEM09002B Interpret technical drawing MEM10002B Terminate and connect electrical wiring MEM12002B Perform electrical/electronic measurement MEM18001C Use hand tools These units from the Metal and Engineering Training Package (MEM05) meet industry requirements for the Restricted Electrical License Class 2 These competencies have been completed as part of a Certificate III trade qualification or higher (Where relevant: These competencies have been delivered and assessed in [insert language].) Dated 30 March 2009 Authorised Signatory Issuing Body Nationally Recognised Training logo State/Territory Training Authority logo (optional) This Statement of Attainment is recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework MSA Skill Sets: Background Information 3

4 MSA skills sets To date MSA has identified skill sets that target industry, licensing and regulatory requirements. These skill sets identify the units that must be completed independently, as part of or in addition to an MSA Training Package qualification, in order to meet industry, legislative or licensing requirements. The development of skill sets will be an ongoing function of MSA. MSA skills sets include: Industry Sector/Training Package Chemical, Hydrocarbons and Oil Refining (PMA) Metal and Engineering (MEM) Boiler operations Metal and Engineering (MEM) Electrical skills Metal and Engineering (MEM) Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Aerospace (MEA) Textiles (LMT) Boiler operations Textiles (LMT) Electrical skills Skill Sets Contractor Induction Confined Space Hot Work Observer Offshore Operator Safety Induction Incident Response Team Member Incident Response Team Leader Offshore Incident Response Team Member Emergency Centre Team Pipeline Transmission Incident Response Commander Offshore Crane Driver Workplace Assessor Basic Boiler Operation Intermediate Boiler Operation Advanced Boiler Operation (under development) Electrician Licence Restricted Electrical LicenceClass 1 (disconnect/reconnect and fault finding up to 1000 volts a.c./1500 volts d.c.) Restricted Electrical LicenceClass 2 (disconnect/reconnect up to 1000 volts a.c./1500 volts d.c.) Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Licence (under development) Restricted Split System Air Conditioning Installation and Decommissioning Licence (under development) Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (under development) Dry Cleaning and Laundry (Boiler attendant) (as per MEM) Cotton Ginning (Restricted Electrical Licensing) (as per MEM) MSA Presentation of information on skill sets Information on skill sets will be provided within the Qualifications section in MSA Training Packages. Information will include: Skill set title Description of the target group List of units included in the skill set MSA Skill Sets: Background Information 4

5 Pathway options a description of the relationship between the skill set and other skill sets or qualifications Suggested words for Statement of Attainment Example: Skill Set: Confined space work team The Confined Space Work Team Skill Set provides a pathway through the MSA07 Manufacturing Training Package and the PMA08 Chemical, Hydrocarbons & Refining Training Package to achieve minimum industry OH&S requirements before commencing work in a confined space work team. Persons entering a confined space must do so in accordance with the relevant Australian Standard. Where members of a work team are expected to undertake multiple roles in regard to the confined space entry, then they must be competent in all those roles. This skill set is targeted at such a work team. Training would occur before starting work requiring entry to a confined space. This may occur either as part of safety training to work on the site or more commonly as separate training after initial safety induction. Units MSAPMOHS200A Work safely MSAPMPER200B Work in accordance with an issued permit MSAPMPER202A Observe permit work MSAPMPER205B Enter confined space Pathway These units of competency can provide credit towards: PMA20108 Certificate II in Process Plant Operations PMA30108 Certificate III in Process Plant Operations and other qualifications offered through the PMA08 and MSA07 Training Packages. Suggested wording for the Statement of Attainment: These units from the Manufacturing Skills Training Package (MSA07) meet minimum industry requirements for work in a confined space work team. MSA s Skill Sets provide advice on units within its Training Packages that meet industry and licensing or regulatory requirements. They have been endorsed by industry to be delivered by Registered Training Organisations and recognised by a Statement of Attainment. Readers should ensure that they have also read the part of the Training Package that outlines licensing and regulatory requirements. For further information on this skill set please contact MSA. MSA Skill Sets: Background Information 5

6 Electrical Licensing Skill Sets MSA has developed new skill sets within the Metal and Engineering Training Package to meet electrical licensing requirements. The skill sets will provide clear pathways for those aiming to achieve: Electrician Licence Restricted Electrical Licence Class 1 (disconnect/reconnect and fault finding up to 1000 volts a.c./1500 volts d.c.) Restricted Electrical Licence Class 2 (disconnect/reconnect up to 1000 volts a.c./1500 volts d.c.) These skill sets identify the units of competency that are required within a relevant Certificate III trade qualification or higher, in order to meet the licence requirements. They have been developed in consultation with the Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council (ERAC) and apply nationally. Electrical licensing in Australia is based on a uniform process and set of standards that were established in 2001 by the National Uniform Electrical Licensing Advisory Council (NUELAC), a collaborative council with members drawn from regulators, industry associations and training organisations. NUELAC identified 66 essential capabilities to identify what applicants would be expected to have achieved in order to qualify for an electrical licence. The national agreement of these capabilities means that suitable Training Packages, such as the Metals and Engineering Training Package MEM05, can incorporate structured pathways that clearly identify whether or not an apprentice electrician has achieved the required range and level of skill and knowledge to be granted a licence. In order to satisfy ERAC licensing requirements, an applicant must: 1. Successfully complete a Certificate III trade qualification or higher, including the units identified in the Training Package for the relevant electrical licensing skill set. 2. Successfully complete a quality assurance capstone assessment, an approved exit assessment that tests the apprentice towards the end of training, to confirm that critical essential capabilities have been attained. The Capstone assessment is considered to be part of the training and is conducted by an RTO who has been recognised or approved by the local Electrical Licensing Authority to carry out training and assessment for the purposes of electrical licensing. If an applicant fails the capstone test, they will remain an apprentice and further training and assessment will be necessary. In the case of non apprentices, other assessment processes apply. MSA Skill Sets: Background Information 6