Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
Compliance may include:
federal, state and territory environmental legislation such as:
Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000
state and territory environmental protection authorities and agencies
local government by-laws and regulations, including regional land and water management plans.
Purchasing strategies may include:
influencing suppliers to take up environmental sustainability approaches
researching and participating in programs such as a supply chain program to purchase sustainable products based on ratings for environmental performance.
Stakeholders, key personnel and specialists may include:
individuals and groups both inside and outside the organisation, that have some interest in the enterprise's conduct, actions, products and services:
employees at all levels of the organisation
customers
suppliers
community
regulators
industry associations
key personnel within the organisation, and specialists outside the organisation who may have particular technical expertise.
Analysis of work practices may include:
assessment of quality of product/services
comparison with benchmark data
measurement of output, throughput and/or resource usage
observation.
Environmental and resource efficiency improvement plans may include:
addressing environmental and resource sustainability initiatives such as: environmental management systems, action plans, green office programs, surveys and audits
applying the waste management hierarchy in the workplace
determining organisation's most appropriate waste treatment, including waste to landfill, recycling, re-use, recoverable resources and wastewater treatment
initiating and/or maintaining appropriate organisational procedures for operational energy consumption, including stationary energy and non-stationary (transport)
preventing and minimising risks, and maximising opportunities:
improving resource/energy efficiency
reducing emissions of greenhouse gases:
reducing use of non-renewable resources
referencing standards, guidelines and approaches:
ecological footprinting
Energy Efficiency Opportunities Bill 2005
Global Reporting Initiative
green office program (a cultural change program)
green purchasing
Greenhouse Challenge Plus (Australian government initiative)
ISO 14001:1996 Environmental management systems life cycle analyses
product stewardship
supply chain management
sustainability covenants/compacts
triple bottom line reporting.
Suggestions may include ideas that help to:
eliminate the use of hazardous and toxic materials
express purchasing power through the selection of suppliers with improved environmental performance (e.g. purchasing renewable energy)
identify strategies to offset or mitigate environmental impacts, such as:
purchase carbon credits
energy conservation
reduce chemical use
reduce material consumption
maximise opportunities to re-use, recycle and reclaim materials
prevent and minimise risks and maximise opportunities, such as:
usage of solar or renewable energies, where appropriate
reducing emissions of greenhouse gases
reducing use of non-renewable resources
making more efficient use of resources, energy and water.

EVIDENCE GUIDE
The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
The evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy all of the requirements of the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge and the range statement of this unit. Assessors should ensure that candidates can:
determine compliance requirements within work area
plan and organise work group activities in relation to measuring current use and devising strategies to improve usage
seek input from other relevant stakeholders to set improvement targets
develop plans to make improvements
implement new approaches to work area in an effort to resolve and improve environmental and resource efficiency issues and report, as required
ensure appropriate action is taken within work area in relation to environmental/sustainability compliance and potential hazards.

The skills and knowledge required to implement and monitor environmentally sustainable work practices must be transferable to a range of work environments and contexts and include the ability to deal with unplanned events.

Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment of this unit is to be largely practical in nature and will most appropriately be assessed against the types of processes required in the industry sector in which candidates are working or in a situation that reproduces normal work conditions. Industry sectors can include pet shops, breeding or boarding kennels and catteries, aviaries, companion animal training, grooming establishments, zoos, wildlife parks, mobile animal facilities, animal technology facilities, veterinary practices or similar workplacesor similar workplaces.

There must be access in either situation to the relevant information, equipment and/or resources to enable one to demonstrate competence.

Method of assessment
To ensure consistency in one's performance, competency should be demonstrated, to industry defined standards, on more than one occasion over a period of time in order to cover a variety of circumstances and where possible, over a number of assessment activities.

The assessment strategy must include practical skills assessment. Suggested strategies for this unit are:
written and/or oral assessment of candidate's required knowledge
observed, documented and first-hand testimonial evidence of candidate's application of practical tasks
simulation exercises that reproduce normal work conditions
third-party evidence
workplace documentation
portfolio.

This unit may be assessed in a holistic way with other units of competency relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role.

Guidance information for assessment
Assessment methods should reflect workplace demands (e.g. literacy and numeracy demands) and the needs of particular target groups (e.g. people with disabilities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, people with a language background other than English, youth and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds).