How will Industry Skill Councils (ISCs) determine when something is a skill set or a qualification?
Training Package developers follow the Training Package Development Handbook. The current edition of the Handbook (October 2007) sets out for developers the processes they should use to identify skill sets, including Principles and Protocols to follow in identifying skill sets.
How will cross industry skill sets be developed?
Many Training Packages include imported units of competency. One of the skill sets Protocols in the Training Package Development Handbook states:
How do skill sets link to Industry Regulatory/Licensing requirements?
Skill sets will be developed and included in Training Packages for one of two reasons:
- when a group of units of competency meet a clearly defined industry requirement (e.g. mine site induction, or small business contracting)
- when a group of units are identified as meeting the requirements of a national licensing or regulatory body (e.g. one or more units which when combined allow an individual to meet the competency component of registration as a marriage celebrant, or a group of units which link to a restricted electrical licence).
What is the timeline by which skill sets will be identified in the Training Packages?
Some Training Packages have developed skill sets in the past, particularly by showing combinations of units which link to licence or regulatory requirements so it is not an entirely new approach. Many Training Package developers have already begun the process of identification. The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) decision in relation to this area identified that by 31 December 2008 national training qualifications will include identified skills clusters where there is industry demand.
Can you have electives in skill sets?
No. Electives cannot be included in skill sets. Note: Some skill sets developed prior to 1 April 2008 included electives.
What happens to pre-requisites in skill sets?
If a skill set is made up of three identified units for example, and each of those units has one pre-requisite unit, then the skill set really requires six units and in that case it would be better to identify those six units explicitly in the skill set.
What is the maximum number of units allowed in a skill set?
No absolute maximum number has been set. However, in the case of large skill sets, developers will need to consider whether what is being proposed by industry or a regulatory body is in fact a full qualification, rather than a skill set. The text in the Training Package Development Handbook provides more advice about this.
Can a skill set be less than one unit of competency, for instance in a situation where only 3 of the 4 elements in a particular unit is required by an enterprise or in some cases by a licensing authority?
No. A skill set is defined as "single units or combinations of units which link to a licence or regulatory requirement, or defined industry need." A single unit is the smallest ‘unit of currency’ for which a Statement of Attainment can be issued in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system. In cases where there is poor alignment between units and licenses or enterprise needs this should be fed back to the developers so that the units can be reviewed in light of this information.
Further Information
The AQF Implementation Handbook (fourth edition 2007) (PDF, 2.4mb) and the Training Package Development Handbook (September 2007) contain further detail about Statements of Attainment and skill sets.