2.4. WHAT ARE TRAINING PACKAGES?

A training package is a set of nationally endorsed qualifications, units of competency and assessment requirements developed for a specific industry, sector or workplace. A training package:

• specifies the skills and knowledge required to perform effectively in the workplace
• provides consistent components for training, assessing or recognising skills
• enables nationally recognised qualifications to be awarded through direct assessment of workplace competencies
• promotes flexible modes of training to suit individual and industry requirements
• encourages learning and assessment in a work-related environment that leads to verifiable workplace outcomes
• may also provide support materials.

While a training package does specify workplace skills and knowledge requirements, it does not suggest how a learner should be trained. Users of training packages, such as trainers or assessors, must develop learning and assessment strategies that support the needs of their particular learners

Training packages consist of the following endorsed components:

• Qualifications which consist of units of competency combined into meaningful groups to meet workplace roles, and aligned to vocational qualification levels identified in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF)
• Units of competency are the nationally agreed statements of the skills and knowledge required for effective performance in a particular job or job function. Units of competency describe work outcomes as agreed by industry. As such, they do not describe the procedures necessary to perform a particular role, but rather, identify the skills and knowledge, as outcomes, that contribute to the whole job function. Each unit of competency describes:
• A specific work activity and what it involves
• Particular skills (and level of skills) that are needed to perform the work activity
• Conditions under which the work activity may be conducted
• Knowledge and skills required to perform the work activity
• Foundation skills required to perform the work activity
• How learners can show they are competent in the work activity
• Performance and knowledge evidence that must be considered in assessing competency of the unit

• conditions under which evidence for assessment must be gathered. Which specify the standards of performance required in the workplace
• Assessment requirements which specify the performance evidence, knowledge evidence and conditions for assessment for each unit of competency
The Training Packages utilised by SLSQ are the Public Safety (PUA), Health (HLT) and Training & Education (TAE) Training Packages.