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.
Benchmarking may be undertaken:
between companies, including competitors
between departments or sections:
boning, slaughter, rendering, stockyards, sales
curing, corning, smokehouse, rasher room
for functional areas (e.g. human resources, finances, production, marketing and sales)
between sites
between the company and industry
internally, externally or across industries.
Improvements to efficiency might include:
reductions in labour
reductions in resource costs.
Regulatory requirements may include:
animal welfare
commercial law including fair trading, trade practices, Intellectual Property (IP)
consumer law
corporate law, including registration, licensing, financial reporting
environmental impact, sustainability and waste management
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), anti-discrimination and sexual harassment
Export Control Act
industrial awards, agreements
relevant regulations
risk management
state and territory regulations regarding meat processing
taxation.
Benchmarking strategies may include:
audit of internal systems or processes
analysis of partner's systems or processes
benchmarking outside the immediate industry (e.g. benchmarking against freight and logistics enterprises)
competitive or lean manufacturing
benchmarking cross the value chain
Total Quality Management (TQM)
Six Sigma.
Communication may
be formal or informal and involve face-to-face and technological/electronic methods
be inclusive of the cultural, ethnic and social diversity of individuals and groups
involve preparation of reports which may be complex, contain information from a range of technical sources and include mathematical and graphic information and data
involve reading and interpreting workplace documentation
occur in a variety of sensitive, conflictive, collaborative and supportive environments
require analysis and presentation of complex concepts, technical information, mathematical information and other data in simple or complex formats
require persuasion, negotiation and assertiveness skills.
Mathematical requirements may:
be complex and relate to product and product quality, financial operations, personnel, operations, sales and turnover and exports
involve the use of information and communications technology and services, online and offline data bases, information management and storage systems and e-commerce
relate to complex actual and hypothetical, technical and financial modelling, calculations, interpretation or analysis
involve statistical analysis of enterprise and industry data.
Stakeholders may include:
company owners, directors, shareholders, financiers
competitors
management and employees
suppliers, customers, consumers
unions and employer associations
meat industry and industry organisations
government organisations.
Benchmarking teams may include:
lead team
preparation team
visit team
improvement team.
Benchmarking partners and benchmarks may be:
competitors
generic or cross industry
industry and industry data owners
internal.
Benchmarking data may include:
input, output (process output) information
performance indicators
qualitative data, formal and informal feedback, reports, interviews
industry data
quantitative data, statistics, surveys.

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
The meat industry has specific and clear requirements for evidence. A minimum of three forms of evidence is required to demonstrate competency in the meat industry. This is specifically designed to provide evidence that covers the demonstration in the workplace of all aspects of competency over time. These requirements are in addition to the requirements for valid, current, authentic and sufficient evidence.

Three forms of evidence means three different kinds of evidence - not three pieces of the same kind. In practice it will mean that most of the unit is covered twice. This increases the legitimacy of the evidence.

All assessment must be conducted against Australian meat industry standards and regulations.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Competency must be demonstrated through sustained performance over time, at an appropriate level of responsibility and authority under typical operating and production conditions for the enterprise.

Effective management and/or facilitation of a benchmarking process, including related improvement activities, must be demonstrated.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Resources may include:
access to appropriate information sources including industry standards and research data, similar businesses and industries
enterprise system information
workplace environment with typical operation and production conditions.
Method of assessment
Recommended methods of assessment include:
a third-party referee report of sustained performance at appropriate level of authority and responsibility
assignment focusing on understanding and application of principles and theory to workplace operations
simulation
workplace or industry projects with a focus on company/industry environment and conditions.

Assessment practices should take into account any relevant language or cultural issues related to Aboriginality or Torres Strait Islander, gender, or language backgrounds other than English. Language and literacy demands of the assessment task should not be higher than those of the work role.
Guidance information for assessment
A current list of resources for this unit of competency is available from MINTRAC www.mintrac.com.au or telephone 1800 817 462.