Skills in handling and caring for livestock are crucial to Australia’s food production system. Livestock units are used across many qualifications, including the certificates of agriculture, to provide training to work with a range of animals in an agricultural setting, including sheep, cattle, alpacas, pigs, poultry, goats and bees.
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Industry is continually implementing new technologies and methods to optimise animal welfare, improve sustainability and effectively manage livestock, particularly with the emergence of precision livestock farming practices. With over 123,000 people making up Australia’s livestock industry, it is important that the national skills standards are regularly reviewed so that learners are equipped with the skills currently required to work safely and effectively with and around livestock.
Over the past few years, the entire agriculture, horticulture, conservation and land management (AHC) training package has been undergoing significant revision using a ‘Unit Sector’ approach, to bring it up to date with current work methods and skills needs.
This project continues the review of the training package with a focus on updating units relating to livestock operations. Input from employees, employers and trainers with relevant experience is encouraged so that updates reflect how work is performed in the industry currently.
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Opportunities for stakeholder input
At this stage of the project, we welcome stakeholders to review the units and qualification listed below and consider how they may be improved as part of this project.
We are interested to know:
We are particularly interested to hear viewpoints on the qualification, AHC33316 Certificate III in Feedlot Operations, including feedback on the name of the qualification and whether there are other units that should be included in it.
Note to RTOs: Changes made to units as part of this project will need to be reflected in other AHC qualifications and skill sets. We encourage registered training organisations (RTOs) to review the list of impacted qualifications carefully to see if they have any of these on scope.
Input on the existing units and qualification will help in the creation of revised versions, which will be developed with help from a Technical Committee (TC) made up of relevant experts. Broad stakeholder feedback will be sought throughout the month of May via this webpage. Webinars and face-to-face consultation workshops will also be planned in each state and territory to collect feedback.
For updates and consultation opportunities, please follow the newsletter subscription link above. Stakeholder input is appreciated throughout the duration of this project. Please feel free to contact the project manager, Susie Falk on 0438 98 54 42 or 03 9321 3526 or [email protected]
A list of key stakeholder organisations has been identified that, because of their industry role, size or specialty, are likely to have a key interest in the development and outcomes of this project. Skills Insight will make contact with each of these organisations during the development of the project to seek involvement and views on the drafts. Consultation is not limited to the organisations on the list. If you are aware of an organisation that you think should be involved, please contact the project team. A Consultation Strategy has been produced outlining the planned consultation throughout the project.
This project was approved to commence as part of the Annual Training Product Development Plan.
Project Scope and Purpose
Qualification and units being reviewed
Consultation will take place throughout this project to revise one qualification, AHC33316 Certificate III in Feedlot Operations, and 70 units of competency. Most of the units listed are from the livestock sector, ranging from indicative AQF level 1 to indicative AQF level 5. There are also seven units from other AHC sectors, namely:
We encourage you to please check the list of units below carefully as we will require expert stakeholder input on everything listed.
Impacted qualifications and skill sets
The units under review as part of this project are included in 23 qualifications and nine skill sets, which will need to be updated to include the revised units at the completion of this project. Stakeholder feedback will be invited on the impacts of any updates to the units in these qualifications and skill sets. Some of these qualifications and skill sets may also be impacted by updates made as part of the Shearing and Wool Classing Project.
Notification of units being deleted
There are currently eight units that have been removed from all qualifications within the AHC Training Package as part of previous projects. Upon completion of the remaining projects within the unit sector approach, these units will be officially removed from the AHC Training Package and will be marked as deleted on the training.gov.au website. Please review the list below and contact a member of the project team if you have any questions or feedback.
Timeline
Project Team
Susie Falk
Project Manager
Skills Insight
[email protected]
Andrew Horgan
Stakeholder Engagement Manager Skills Insight
[email protected]
Peter Miller
Industry Skills Standards Contractor
Relevant Occupations
The units being reviewed as part of this project relate to a broad range of occupations across the agriculture industry, as they describe the skills for working with livestock used in many environments. This skilled workforce draws on a range of expertise to:
Qualifications and Units Under Review
The workforce of over 123,000 people in the livestock industry are continually adopting new technologies and methods to improve sustainability, efficiency and animal welfare outcomes in the industry. It is important that the national skills standards for this work are regularly reviewed so that learners are equipped with the skills currently required to operate safely and effectively with and around livestock.
This project continues the work to fully review the agriculture, horticulture, conservation and land management (AHC) training package with a focus on updating units relating to livestock operations. Employees, employers and trainers with relevant experience are encouraged to provide feedback so that updates reflect how work is performed in the industry currently.
A Technical Committee of relevant experts has been formed to provide advice throughout the project. The group met on 22 February 2024 for initial discussions and to review and accept the Technical Committee Terms of Reference and Consultation Strategy. The group is currently working with the project team to review and update the units of competency.
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If you would like to receive updates about this project, please subscribe to our newsletter and select ‘agriculture, horticulture, conservation and land management’ as one of your industries of interest.
Next Steps
The draft units and qualification will be made available for comment on this webpage in May 2024. Your input is welcome, please feel free to register your interest to keep informed of project updates and when draft materials are available for feedback.
Register for a Consultation Workshop
In-person and online workshops are planned for May to coincide with the draft documents being made available for broad stakeholder feedback. These sessions will provide further information about the work underway and how you can have input on the updated draft qualification and units.
Register for a session that best suits you.
In-person sessions
Online sessions
Site Visit Consultations
Skills Insight’s Susie Falk and Peter Miller recently visited a cattle property near Mansfield for a site visit as part of this project. Their hosts Emily, James and Clara McCormack treated them to a valuable couple of days. Susie and Peter were able to observe how the McCormacks work with horses and dogs to manage their cattle, how they digitally record calf weight using ear tags, and how they handle the livestock using low stress stockhandling techniques.
Susie and Peter also had the opportunity to visit Teys Australia’s Charlton feedlot, where low stress stock handling was also a focus. They were able to observe how technology is used to determine how many kilograms of feed has been consumed per animal, and how much more might be needed at the next feeding time. They also saw how riders on horseback survey the stock, looking for any animal with health concerns and separating them out for later treatment. Peter and Susie were then shown how new stock are processed, including tagging and vaccinations.
Through these site visits Peter and Susie were able to experience tasks covered by the units and qualification being reviewed as part of this project.
Consultation is underway to revise the Certificate III in Feedlot Operations and 70 units of competency that support the skills to work in the livestock industry. With a workforce of over 123,000 people, it is important that the skills standards for working with and alongside livestock are kept up to date, so they reflect the latest technologies, equipment and animal handling techniques.
A project Technical Committee and subject matter experts have been consulted to determine the content of the draft units and qualification which are now available for broad consultation.
Your feedback is encouraged. The draft qualification and units of competency are available for feedback on this webpage from 3 May – 5 June 2024.
Summary of changes
The Certificate III in Feedlot Operations has been revised to refer to ‘feedlot operations’ rather than ‘beef cattle feedlot operations’, to allow for broader application of the qualification. The list of job roles has also been updated. Biosecurity, environmental sustainability and animal welfare are essential skill areas for work in the sector and so three core units to support these skills have been added to the qualification.
Seventy units of competency have been revised to reflect feedback received by the project Technical Committee and other stakeholders consulted to date. All units have had minor edits to the Performance Criteria (PC) and Knowledge Evidence. Most units remain equivalent as their outcomes remain the same.
There are an additional 20 qualifications and 10 skill sets that include units of competency that are under review as part of this project and/or the Shearing and Wool Classing Project. The degree to which these qualifications and skill sets may be impacted will depend on the feedback received on the units and whether there is also a need to update their codes.
For a detailed list of changes, please see the Summary of Changes document.
How to provide feedback
You can submit your feedback online using our feedback hub, where you can post comments directly on the draft document as well as view any comments from others. Your comments will remain anonymous. Only Skills Insight internal staff and contractors working directly on the project can identify users. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. The feedback hub is also moderated to avoid misuse.
- Select the document.
- You will be asked to register or login (for a free account). Follow the prompts.
- Once logged in, you will be able to post feedback directly on the document.
Of course, there is always the option to email us your feedback if you prefer. There is a link at the bottom of the document group where you can download the Microsoft Word versions. Please email your feedback to Susie Falk, [email protected]
Register for a Consultation Workshop
In-person and online workshops are planned for May to coincide with the draft documents being made available for broad stakeholder feedback. These sessions will provide further information about the work underway and how you can have input on the updated draft qualification and units.
Register for a session that best suits you.
In-person sessions
Online sessions
View the documents and provide feedback
Click on the accordions below to view the qualification and units of competency and to provide feedback through our online feedback hub.
The Certificate III in Feedlot Operations has been revised to refer to ‘feedlot operations’ rather than ‘beef cattle feedlot operations’, to allow for broader application of the qualification. The list of job roles has also been updated to include feedlot maintenance worker, feedlot hand, feed mill operator, feed mill hand, livestock farm worker, livestock hand, pen rider, feedlot administration worker. Feedback is encouraged about whether this list is complete and if they job role titles are appropriate?
Three core units to support skills in biosecurity, environmental sustainability and animal welfare skills have been added to the draft qualification:
Three units have also been moved from the core to elective group following advice from the project Technical Committee and other consultation to date that not all job roles that the qualification supports requires these skills:
Twelve units are proposed to be added to elective groups, as they include a variety of everyday tasks:
The title of elective units for Group C has also been changed to include Livestock Handling, rather than Pen Rider, to encompass the role of Pen Rider and more.
Prefer to email your feedback?
Please contact Susie Falk, [email protected]
Download the draft documents in Microsoft Word format
All units have had minor edits to the Performance Criteria (PC) and Knowledge Evidence. Some PCs have been merged, some PCs have been added and some PCs have been re-sequenced. Most units remain equivalent as their outcomes remain the same.
Details around volume and frequency of tasks has been added or adjusted to the performance evidence of all units. Some units have had the statement ‘Assessment of this unit must be conducted on live animals’ added. The Assessment Criteria in some units also did not exist and so has been added.
Some units have had minor changes to their application statement. Foundation skills have been added to units where it was missing, otherwise foundation skills across the units have received minor edits.
Two units that have very similar outcomes for supporting livestock work have been merged to become one unit.
Key: 
Prefer to email your feedback?
Please contact Susie Falk, [email protected]
Download the draft documents in Microsoft Word format
Prefer to email your feedback?
Please contact Susie Falk, [email protected]
Download the draft documents in Microsoft Word format
These qualifications include units of competency that are under review as part of this project and/or the Shearing and Wool Classing Project. The degree to which these qualifications are impacted will depend on the feedback received on the units and whether there is also a need to update their codes.
We are aware that some of these qualifications have recently been updated, and any update made to their elective unit codes may require another qualification code change (as per policy requirements). While another code change may not be ideal, the updated qualification will be more current. Please advise if you support the proposed code changes to the units under review, which are also within these qualifications?
Please contact Susie Falk with any questions or feedback, [email protected]
AHC10222 Certificate I in Agriculture
AHC20122 Certificate II in Agriculture
AHC21722 Certificate II in Permaculture
AHC30122 Certificate III in Agriculture
AHC30624 Certificate III in Production Horticulture
AHC30722 Certificate III in Horticulture
AHC31124 Certificate III in Nursery Operations
AHC31824 Certificate III in Beekeeping
AHC32724 Certification III in Rural Merchandising
AHC32822 Certificate III in Rural Operations
AHC33722 Certificate III in Protected Horticulture
AHC40122 Certificate IV in Agriculture
AHC40224 Certificate IV in Protected Horticulture
AHC42122 Certificate IV in Permaculture
AHC50122 Diploma of Agriculture
AHC50324 Diploma of Production Horticulture
AHC50524 Diploma of Arboriculture
AHC51920 Diploma of Applied Agronomy
AHC60319 Advanced Diploma of Agribusiness Management
AHC60524 Advanced Diploma of Arboriculture
These skill sets include units of competency that are under review as part of this project or units that have been updated in previous projects. The degree to which these skill sets are impacted will depend on the feedback received on the units and whether there is also a need to update their codes.
Please contact Susie Falk with any questions or feedback, [email protected]
AHCSS00028 Basic Introduction to Bee Keeping Skill Set
AHCSS00068 Production Horticulture Technology Skill Set
AHCSS00101 Irrigation Retail Sales Skill Set
AHCSS00150 Livestock Health and Welfare Supervisor Skill Set
AHCSS00151 Pork Industry Stockperson Skill Set
AHCSS00152 Poultry Farm Technician Skill Set
AHCSS00153 Poultry Breeding Technician Skill Set
AHCSS00155 Poultry Services Provider Skill Set
AHCSS00156 Poultry Hatchery Technician Skill Set
AHCSS00183 Firearms Skill Set
These units are identified for possible deletion, as part of the Shearing and Wool Classing Project as they may no longer align with the current skill requirements of industry. We encourage you to provide your feedback through the online survey.
| AHCWOL101 Support woolshed activities | Provide feedback |
| AHCSHG306 Carry out post-shearing procedures | Provide feedback |
| AHCSHG402 Conduct equipment experting for machine shearing | Provide feedback |
Prefer to email your feedback?
Please contact Susie Falk, [email protected]
These units have been removed from all qualifications within the AHC Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package as part of project work over the past few years. It follows feedback that they no longer align with the current skill requirements of industry. These units will be officially removed from the AHC Training Package and will be marked as deleted on the National Training Register.
| AHCAIS301 Collect semen AHCAIS302 Process and store semen | Feedback out of the Animal Reproduction Project advised that these artificial insemination skills can be provided by specialist services as required. |
| AHCMKH401 Carry out cleaning-time tests of milking machines AHCMKH402 Design and fabricate milking equipment installations AHCMKH403 Design and install enterprise milk cooling and storage AHCMKH404 Install milking equipment AHCMKH405 Performance test milking machines | Identified for deletion as part of the Dairy & Milk Harvesting Project as they have not been delivered by registered training organisations since they were created and they do not align with the job role within the AHC30221 Certificate III in Dairy Production. |
| AHCPGD205 Prepare a grave site | Industry feedback as part of the Parks & Gardens Project was that it is not suitable/applicable to the parks and gardens industry. There is a more suitable qualification on offer as part of the SIF Funeral Services Training Package – SIF30213 Certificate III in Gravedigging, Grounds and Maintenance. |
A draft copy of the AHC Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package Companion Volume Implementation Guide which includes details of the proposed changes to qualification and units of competency is also available for review and comment.
Prefer to email your feedback?
Please contact Susie Falk, [email protected]
Download the draft documents in Microsoft Word format
Summary of consultation to date
The Certificate III in Feedlot Operations and units of competency covered in this project have been drafted in consultation with the Technical Committee and with small groups of industry and training experts in a series of targeted workshops. Individuals working directly in feedlot operations, general livestock operations, registered training organisations and a representative from a skills council participated and provided information on the skills and knowledge required for job roles and tasks. Three site visits were undertaken; to a grass-fed beef property in Mansfield, a beef feedlot in Charlton and a sheep station in Ballan, to observe job roles in the workplaces. Thank you to those who welcomed the project team to their property and provided feedback during these activities. The project team have arranged for further site visits throughout the month of May while on consultation around Australia.
This stage has not yet commenced.
At the validation stage, we check our work with stakeholders to confirm that solutions are in line with expectations.
This stage has not yet commenced.
At the finalisation stage, final checks are conducted and the outcomes of the project are submitted to the Department for consideration. Following this, outcomes are published or enacted.
Project background
As the agriculture, horticulture, conservation and land management (AHC) industry adapts to technological advancements, shifting markets, and environmental concerns, it is important that the AHC training package can be updated holistically and on a regular basis.
Given the many unique and interrelated skills across the industry, a strategic approach is being undertaken to identify and review units by their sector classification rather than their listing in qualifications.
Following a staged process, the Unit Sector approach allows us to:
2024 Projects as part of the Unit Sector Approach
There are two projects taking place in 2024, as part of this work. Each will be undertaken separately but run concurrently, allowing for a more targeted consultation while ensuring that the projects can simultaneously review and address any overlaps between them.
The Livestock Operations Project will also update LSK units that are core in the Shearing and Wool qualifications.
A project to analyse the how the AHC21216 Certificate II in Rural Operations is being used is also underway concurrently with these projects.
Recent Projects as part of the Unit Sector Approach
2019 – 2020
Biosecurity, Conservation and Ecosystem Management, Rural Merchandising, Horticulture and Nursery
2020 – 2021
Landscaping, Parks and Gardens, Crops, Pastures and Seed, Dairy and Milk Harvesting
2021 – 2022
Permaculture, Composting, Organic Production, Pig and Poultry, Respect for Country, Ag & Horticulture Core Skills