As part of a wider move to review and improve the industry sector, the Australian Government is shaking up the way we train future pest managers.
The Government has recently implemented a process for training package reform for all industry sectors, including pest management.
Artibus Innovation, a Skill Services Organisation, has been engaged by the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) to manage the reform process for industries within the Property Services sector, which includes reviewing and reforming the Pest Management Training Package.
Artibus Innovation has established an Industry Reference Committee (IRC) to review and develop training packages in line with the Australian Governments reform process. They have, as part of their 2018/2019 work schedule, the requirement to review and reform the Pest Management Training Package.
The Pest Management Training Package Redevelopment Project was launched at the recent AEPMA conference on the Gold Coast. The presentation was a call out for those in the industry to get involved and be part of the change to make a real difference to the future of pest management training.
The Urban Pest Management Redevelopment Project will examine the content, structure, training delivery and student outcomes of the CPP30115 Certificate III in Urban Pest Management. In particular, the project will look at the: Suitability of packaging of the Certificate III qualification; Requirement for the addition of a Certificate IV qualification or a skill set of units at Certificate IV level (e.g. suitable for Supervisors or Senior technical staff); Relevancy and content of the existing units, and; Pathway qualifications for young workers/people new to the industry.
As training package reforms need to be industry driven, Artibus is seeking consultation and engagement with all industry stakeholders to obtain feedback. The industry will appreciate the timing of the project, as there has been a lot of recent noise on this subject, especially on social media, around pest management training systems and content of courses, delivery timeframes and licensing requirements within the sector. Artibus Innovation have requested assistance from AEPMA and other stakeholders to get the project message out to their members.
The first step in the project is to establish an industry Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to assist the IRC with input into the new training package. All industry stakeholders are invited to nominate for the TAG positions. Nomination forms and TAG Terms of Reference can be found under the National Project menu at www.artibus.com.au.
The nomination period has been extended to mid-November 2018 to allow for further nominations. The TAG will be chaired by Property Services IRC and industry member, John Murray, national pest technical manager for Flick Anticimex, who is assisting Artibus Innovation with the consultation process. Other consultation opportunities will include surveys, forums/workshops, webinars, email and website updates, networks/roadshows and direct engagement. Keep an eye out for these opportunities and project updates.
Full details of the project can be found on the project webpage, or by contacting enquiries@artibus.com.au.
