Overview of Training Packages

There are two parts to Training Packages - endorsed and non-endorsed. The endorsed component includes competency standards for the occupations covered qualification and assessment guidelines. The non-endorsed components are the training/learning resources and strategies.

The Training Packages in use by the Community Services and Health Industries in Australia are the Community Services Training Package 2002 and the Health Training Package. Implementation of these packages is an ongoing process with more qualifications becoming available through Public (TAFE) and Private (RTO) training providers in 2004/2005. For full details of qualifications available click here.

The Training Package provides:

• Better identification of skills for industry

• Understanding of competency's required and training outcomes

• Opportunities to further customise to meet particular workplace needs

Uses
The Training Package can be used by industry, workplaces and individuals to:

• better identify skills and training needs, to broaden the skills base and develop multi-skilling and to drive the qualification and assessment process.

• Enable workplaces to map competencies to improve management of their workers in recruitment, training development and performance assessment, thus providing for enhanced mobility within the workplace and facilitation of workplace change.

• Help individual have their skills recognised as qualifications to enhance their mobility both within and outside the workplace and to identify and develop their career and training paths.

Advantages
The advantages of using the Training Packages are:

• An individual can be assessed against the competency standards relevant to the qualification they are seeking by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO)

• The RTO will either issue the individual with a Statement of Attainment, indication the competencies that have been achieved or with a complete qualification from the Australian Qualification Framework.

• Flexibility in Assessment - Assessments can take place before an individual undertakes any training, during training, or after training - whether that training is through a training course, workplace training strategies or any other type of training. Assessment can take place in or out of the workplace and through a variety of means - as long as the assessment is against the units of competency for a particular qualification and complies with the assessment guidelines.