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.
Incoming mail may include:
confidential/personal
electronic (e.g. faxes, emails to central address)
external
internal
journals/magazines
letters
paper-based
urgent
other forms of correspondence
Checking mail may include:
enclosures
mail marked confidential, urgent or personal
mail sent express post or registered
mail that has been damaged
mail that looks suspicious
Registering mail may include:
assigning file number
addressee
condition of mail item (e.g. damaged, no return address)
contents e.g. cheque
date received
sender
subject
Distributing urgent and confidential mail may include:
immediate, hand delivery, express post, registered
separating and prioritising urgent mail
Sorting mail may include:
adding a circulation slip
separating by order of importance for each individual
separating internal (organisational) mail and external mail
separating junk mail
separating urgent mail to be distributed first
sorting by departments
sorting by location
sorting by seniority of personnel
sorting invoices, cheques and accounts
Nominated person/location may include:
administrative support person
department
individual addressee
Damaged, suspicious or missing items may include:
mail exposed to weather (e.g. water damage from rain)
mail roughly handled (e.g. broken contents, torn address labels)
mail that looks like it has been interfered with (re-sealed mail)
mail that looks unusual
mail that makes noises
mail that smells strange
pilfered mail (contents may be missing, parcels slit open)
Appropriate action in relation to damaged, missing or suspicious items may include:
immediately calling supervisor or security staff
contacting sender to ensure everything sent was received
filling out forms for sender's insurance company
negotiating replacement of missing or damaged items with sender
not touching or moving suspicious mail
Correctly preparing items for despatch may include:
checking enclosures
checking letter and envelope are addressed to same person
checking the address is not obscured
checking letter has been signed
checking return address is included
checking address details and layout are correct
determining most appropriate carrier
ensuring correct requirements for chosen carrier are being followed
preparing bulk mail outs
Recording outgoing mail may include:
electronic (specialist software, database, spreadsheet systems)
paper-based (mail book, form, file)
Processing mail for despatch may include:
calculating and paying for postage
DX mail
registering mail
Processing in accordance with organisational requirements may include:
addressee/organisation
appropriate carrier (courier, normal mail, express post)
date of despatch
receipts attached where appropriate
reference number
sender
sender's department
Delivery options may include:
courier
express mail
overnight bag
Best option may include:
cost
delivery location
nature of contents (bulky, fragile, confidential)
quantity of delivery items
time constraints

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
Evidence of the following is essential:
working with a variety of incoming and outgoing mail
applying carriers' and organisational requirements (e.g. postal and courier)
knowledge of relevant legislation.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure:
access to an actual workplace or simulated environment
access to office equipment and resources
examples of correspondence and parcels for sorting and despatch.
Method of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:
direct questioning combined with review of portfolios of evidence and third party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate
review of incoming and outgoing mail registers
analysis of responses to case studies and scenarios
demonstration of techniques
oral or written questioning to assess knowledge of procedural requirements for receiving/despatching and prioritising correspondence.
Guidance information for assessment
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:
general administration units
other information management units.