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EXPLANATORY NOTE – AHC20115 CERTIFICATE II IN ARBORICULTURE
CONSULTATION
A review of arboriculture qualifications in the AHC10 Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and
Land Management Training Package is currently underway, including review of the qualifications
framework and transition of Training Package components to the National Skills Standards Council
Standards for Training Packages (NSSC Standards).
Draft materials for the AHC20115 Certificate II in Arboriculture have been released for broad
industry consultation. Feedback is sought on the new draft qualification, redrafted/new units of
competency and new assessment requirements.
Background
A number of submissions to the AgriFood Skills Australia Continuous Improvement Register have
identified that the current qualifications framework is no longer meeting industry needs. Subsequent
discussions with industry representatives confirm that there is a need to review and redesign the
existing qualifications at AQF levels 2, 3 and 5, and a possible requirement to develop new
qualifications at AQF levels 4 and 6.
Consultation for this project will take place in a number of stages. The first stage covers the
Certificate II in Arboriculture, which is designed to provide a number of outcomes for pre-trade level
tree workers in the arboriculture industry.
NSSC Standards
The NSSC Standards were endorsed by the Standing Council on Tertiary Education, Skills and
Employment (SCOTESE) in November 2012. All Training Packages are required to be transitioned to
the format required by the NSSC Standards before the end of 2015. In addition to some changes to
the format of qualifications and units of competency, the NSSC Standards introduce a new
component, assessment requirements. Each set of assessment requirements has a one-to-one
relationship with a unit of competency. More information regarding the NSSC Standards and
supporting policy is available on the NSSC website.
Overview of Materials
The draft AHC20115 Certificate II in Arboriculture is available for review, along with eleven revised or
new units of competency and their associated assessment requirements. The units of competency
are:

AHCARB201 Apply a range of treatments to trees

AHCARB202 Fell small trees

AHCARB203 Perform above ground pruning

AHCARB204 Undertake standard climbing techniques
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
AHCARB205 Operate and maintain chainsaws

AHCARB206 Undertake stump removal

AHCARB207 Perform ground based rigging

AHCARB208 Work effectively in the arboriculture industry

AHCARB209 Assist with aerial rescue from the ground

AHCARB210 Operate elevated work platform

AHCARB310 Perform aerial rigging
These units have been developed following industry confirmation of pre-trade level job roles. Prior
to release, the components were reviewed by an industry Technical Reference Group who provided
technical advice on content.
A Skill Set has also been released for arboricultural labourers to provide an entry-level pathway into
the industry.
Further information
Further information is available in the Project Plan published on the AgriFood Skills Australia
website.
Consultation
Feedback is sought on the initial draft qualification, units of competency and assessment
requirements to ensure they are suitable to meet arboriculture industry needs.
Assessment Requirements
Industry should pay particular attention to the Assessment Conditions field in the Assessment
Requirements. The draft Assessment Conditions are based on guidelines for assessment in current
units of competency. Industry should consider the following when reviewing Assessment Conditions:

are there any mandatory conditions for assessment?

are there any conditions under which evidence must be gathered, including use of specific
equipment and materials, contingencies, specifications, physical conditions, relationships
with team members and supervisor, relationship with client/customer, or timeframe?

are there any assessor requirements for qualifications, experience or industry currency?
Feedback
Feedback on individual components may be provided using ‘track changes’ on the draft documents.
Additional comments may be provided on the feedback form available on the website.
All feedback should be returned to [email protected].
This round of consultation closes COB Tuesday 23rd December 2014.
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