F URNISHING T RAINING P ACKAGE R EDEVELOPMENT Andre Lewis 2 April 2012 MSA Board Furnishing Sub- Committee

Project Progress (1)  Project commenced December 2011  MSA has completed reformatting of current LMF02 units of competency in the new national format using existing content  Technical Reference Groups now formed (members to date in hand-out)  Consultation on the qualifications framework underway

Project Progress (2)  RTOs with scope for any Furnishing qualification (120 on TGA) have been surveyed to gain additional information on:  non-publicly funded take-up – fee for service/other  implementation issues  unmet demand

Consultation approach Enterprises – employers employees RTOs Industry bodies, unions, professional associations Redeveloped Training Package Fit for Purpose Skills Demand Skills Supply Skills Development

TRG Breakdown  Furniture Production  Soft Furnishing Production  Structural and Engineered Furnishing Products  Glass and Glazing  Furnishing Design and Technology  Complementary Furnishing Occupations

Redevelopment Process Initial redevelopment phase is gathering expert feedback on aspects of the current qualifications that are working well and those which have issues, including:  industry demand  jurisdictional RTO coverage  take-up (public and privately funded)  compliance with existing and emerging licensing regimes and industrial classifications  coverage of new job roles and occupations  career pathways  support for inclusion of elective units such as new competitive manufacturing and sustainability, OHS implementation among others

Second Phase Consultation on necessary upgrading of the unit of competency content, including:  covering the latest technology, products and work practices  ensuring correct references to Australian Standards, industry codes of practice and legislative requirements  reduction of any unnecessary overlap and duplication across the units for various industry sectors  specific advice on language, literacy and numeracy foundation skills required (Australian Core Skills Framework)  unambiguous guidance on assessment practices and assessment conditions/resources

Qualifications Redevelopment Based on feedback to date and analysis of the current use of the existing 42 Furnishing Training Package qualifications the following observations and recommendations are made for MSA Board Furnishing Sub-Committee consideration. Agreement to proceed as indicated is sought to test a revised qualification framework with industry stakeholders over the next two months

Furnishing Production  Certificate I in Furnishing – good take-up so update units and consider extending electives to more than current 3 units  Recommend combining Certificate II in Furniture Finishing and Furniture Making in a single qualification with specialist streams to facilitate better use as take up is limited and completions very low  Certificate IIIs in Furniture Making and Furniture Finishing have sound take-up so confirm ongoing demand and update unit content as required  Certificate III in Wood Machining usage is in decline – recommend re-drafting the packaging to better reflect job roles and update unit technical coverage  Certificate III in Cabinetmaking – high uptake so update unit content as required.

Soft Furnishing Production (1)  Certificate IIs in Mattress and Base making, Soft Furnishing, Upholstery & Blinds and Awnings take-up is low or non-existent. Utility of these stand alone Certificate IIs is questionable.  Recommend a broader Certificate II in Soft Furnishing Production with relevant streams from existing qualifications noted above plus relevant imported textile units

Soft Furnishing Qualifications (2)  Certificate III in Mattress and Base making, take-up is very low. Redesign to better meet industry need or remove  Recommend combining Certificate III in Soft Furnishing, Upholstery and Production Upholstery in a new qualification with relevant streams and redesign the packaging to reflect job roles; e.g. should sewing in upholstery be core? Does current packaging reflect all the production job roles commonly found in large and small enterprises?  Update Certificate III in Blinds and Awnings to meet industry needs and licensing

Structural and Engineered Furnishing Products  The Certificate II qualifications in Flooring Technology and Security Screens and Grills have minor or no take-up and unproven industry demand combined with few RTOs with scope. Recommend removing them from the Furnishing qualification framework. Use relevant units in revised Certificate IIIs  Certificate III in Flooring Technology has good take-up so update technical content as required and add concrete polishing competencies as an additional job role  Update the Certificate III in Security Screens and Grills to meet local licensing where applicable so industry can promote its use.

Glass and Glazing  The Certificate II and III in Glass and Glazing and Diploma of Stained Glass and Leadlighting were updated in 2011 so only require minor unit updating  Stakeholders have requested development of a Certificate IV in Glass and Glazing and have provided advice on some job roles that this would accommodate. A draft qualification will be tested widely in April/May 2012

Furnishing Design and Technology (1)  Certificate IIIs in Interior Decoration (Retail Services) and Kitchens and Bathrooms (Client Services) have limited take- up but are relatively new. Recommend confirming industry demand for two separate qualifications at this AQF level and redesign if necessary  Recommend combining the Certificate IVs in Furnishing Technology and Furniture Design and Technology to avoid overlap and facilitate better demand. Include design and technology streams and allow blending of skills across both  Certificate IV in Interior Design has sound take-up so update unit content only including use of latest design software.  Diploma and Advanced of Interior Design and Decoration have good take-up so update content as necessary

Furnishing Design and Technology (2)  Certificate IV in Design of Kitchen and Bathrooms is relatively new although demand not showing to date so recommend confirming this is emerging and being promoted.  Diplomas of Furniture Design and Technology and Furnishing Technology have very limited take up although fee for service data may indicate more. Recommend combining into one qualification with a distinct design stream and update with latest technology plus additional business management elective competencies  Advanced Diploma of Furnishing management has no take-up and no RTOs with scope so recommend removing from the Furnishing Framework in favour of existing manufacturing qualifications such as the new generic MSA50311 Diploma of Production Management or business management qualifications.

Complementary Furnishing Occupations Due to no indicated take-up, RTOs with scope to deliver and no obvious industry demand, recommend:  Removing the Certificate II and III in Coopering, the Certificate II in Picture Framing and the Certificate III in Piano Technology. Incorporate specialist units from each in either a new ‘Furnishing Heritage Skills’ Certificate III with relevant streams or create discrete Skill Sets for each specialisation  Retain and update the Certificate IV in Instrument Making and Repair, include piano tuning skills and allow industry to promote this  Update the Certificate III in Picture Framing as required and promote as the recognised industry certification.

Questions and Advice