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.
Animal keeping information systems and software include:
International Species Information System (ISIS)
Regional Animal Species Collection Plan (REGASP)
Animal Record-Keeping System (ARKS)
Single Population Analysis and Records Keeping System (SPARKS)
Population Management (PM 2000)
GENES and DEMOG.
Collection management involves:
collection management occurs at a regional and institutional level and needs to consider:
regional and institutional collection plans
species-management plans
regional captive management plans
available facilities
conservation and education issues
visitors' experiences of particular captive animal facilities.
Personnel that may be indentified in a plan include:
Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) representatives
husbandry program coordinator
species coordinators (in-house and regional)
species contact
studbook keepers.

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:
identify approved animal keeping information systems and software
identify, collect, record and interpret data
assist with collection management
follow institutional policies and procedures and legislative requirements
interpret population management practices and principles.

The skills and knowledge required to support collection management 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 practical in nature and will be most appropriately assessed in a captive animal workplace or in a situation that reproduces normal work conditions.

There must be access in either situation to animal keeping information systems and software, relevant collection and species-management plans as well as the appropriate 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).