Training Package Information
What is a Training Package?
A Training Package is a set of nationally endorsed standards and qualifications used to recognise and assess the skills and knowledge people need to perform effectively in the workplace.
Training Packages are a key resource for registered training organisations (RTOs) in the delivery of structured, accredited training.
Training Packages are developed by industry through national industry skills councils or by enterprises to meet the identified training needs of specific industries or industry sectors.
What are Competency Standards?
The Competency Standards endorsed component of the Training Package contains all the units of competency included in its qualifications. Each unit of competency identifies a discrete workplace competency outcome and includes the required knowledge and skills to underpin competencies required in the workplace. National Standards define the competencies required for effective performance in employment.
“A competency comprises the specification of knowledge and skill and the application of that knowledge and skill in a job or occupation to the standard of performance required in employment”.
Each unit has its own code and title and is made up of the following specific parts:
- Unit Descriptor
- Pre-requisite Units (Optional)
- Application of the Unit
- Competency Field (Optional)
- Sector (Optional)
- Elements of Competency
- Performance Criteria
- Required Skills and Knowledge
- Key Competencies
- Range Statement
- Evidence Guide
Consistency
Training Packages provide a consistent framework for vocational education and training thereby reducing unnecessary duplication of courses.
Choice
Training Packages give enterprises and individuals more involvement in setting up and providing training and assessment to suit their needs. In addition, workers can be trained and assessed at times and in locations that suit their needs, and those of their employers.
Flexibility
Training Packages encourage the development of relevant workplace competencies that are required in a specific workplace. In addition, because of the choice of support materials and delivery modes, Training Packages provide many possible ways of teaching, learning and assessment.
What is the difference between competency standards and subjects or modules?
Competency standards are neither a method nor a mode of training. The specifications contained in them represent what is expected of a competent person. This may occur as a result of training and assessment, or by assessment of appropriate experience. Many methods of training may be employed in a training program designed to satisfy competency requirements.
All references to ‘competency’ are made in the context of the competency standards – not the outcomes described in subjects, training modules or any other training curricula.
Remember that training modules provide learning pathways to acquire new skills and knowledge. In other words, they are a journey to becoming competent. The competency standards describe the level or degree of application of skills and knowledge as well as indicating the scope of application i.e. they specify the destination.
Whilst modules are a useful training resource, they are much narrower and atomised in their approach. For this reason, mapping between National Competency Standards and modules is not recommended.
Endorsed Components
Each Training Package is made up of three key components endorsed by the National Training Quality Council (NTQC). When we talk about ‘Training Packages’, we mean these nationally endorsed components.
- Competency Standards, providing units of competency that describes discrete workplace outcomes.
- Assessment Guidelines, describing the industry requirements for assessment.
- Qualifications Framework, detailing how the units of competency are packaged into nationally recognised qualifications, and providing the unique codes and titles for these qualifications.
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.
Support Materials
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.
Who develops Training Package support materials?
Training Package support materials are produced by a range of stakeholders such as RTOs, individual trainers and assessors, private and commercial developers, and government agencies.
How do I read a unit of competency?
The whole of the unit of competency applies in training and assessment and as a trainer and assessor you must refer to it.
A good place to start is with the unit descriptor — this, and the title, provides you with a very good idea about what the unit entails.
- Evidence Guide to note essential skills and knowledge used in assessment
- Range Statement to note the range of situations and vocational settings to which the unit applies
- Performance Criteria and elements of competency to note the break-up of functions and the building blocks of the unit.
Are Training Package Qualifications nationally recognised?
Training Packages provide qualifications and units of competency that are recognised across State and Territory boundaries.
Recognition of current skills
Training Packages give individuals the opportunity to have their current skills, knowledge and experiences recognised formally, without having to undergo unnecessary training if they are already competent.
Is there a benchmark for assessment?
Assessment leading to nationally recognised AQF qualifications and Statements of Attainment in the vocational education and training sector must meet the requirements of the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) as expressed in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations. These can be downloaded from the DEST website at www.dest.gov.au or can be obtained in hard copy from DEST.
What is integrated assessment?
A given combination of units will form part of a person’s job role. No single unit of competency can be acquired in isolation and therefore opportunities for integrated learning and assessment activities should always be explored. Careful consideration of the profile of competencies will identify groups or ‘clusters’ of units where integrated assessment can be applied.
For example, mandatory units can often be readily integrated into the delivery of many specialisation units. A ‘project based’ approach is ideally suited to the integration of related units. Adoption of integrated assessment can provide significant savings in time, cost and effort of assessors and candidates.
Assessment tools should be designed so that assessment evidence can be gathered for a group of units and the outcomes identified with those units. This approach can be quite adequately used to also deal with prerequisites.
Who develops the Training Packages?
Training Packages are developed by national Industry Skills Councils or enterprises to meet the training needs of specific industries or industry sectors.
How often are Training Packages reviewed?
Training Packages are now reviewed through a continuous improvement process, so they keep up to date with the needs and changing circumstances of industry.