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 in the performance criteria is detailed below.

Range of evaluations prior to establishing the operation may involve:
a complete environmental impact study
a site evaluation
evaluation of the social impact on local communities
evaluation of the operation's ability to comply with industry and ecotourism codes of practice
evaluation of the operation's ability to comply with legislation.


Methods of managing tourism impact may include:
limits of acceptable change
zoning
exclusion
community consultation and involvement
tourism development plans
scheduling
consideration of optimal weather conditions and seasons
selection of most appropriate transport modes
education
size of operation and group size.


Stakeholders may include:
host community where the operation is to take place
investors
local authorities
land management bodies, such as national parks
consumer representatives
suppliers of environmentally-friendly products.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, the range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this TrainingPackage.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Evidence of the following is essential:
project or work activities that show the candidate's ability to plan for strategically, establish and operate an ecologically sustainable tourism operation and to monitor any environmental impact
project or work activities conducted over a commercially realistic period of time so that the planning, evaluation and monitoring aspects of the operations can be assessed

ability to critically analyse all information that relates to the product development phase
knowledge of how to access information on the current range of legislation, regulations and industry codes and ability to interpret the requirements clearly as they relate to the tourism operation
knowledge of minimal impact and environmental management strategies.


Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure:
that the candidate has accessed a fully equipped industry-realistic office environment using appropriate computers, printers, information programs and publications currently used in the tourism industry to facilitate the planning and product development processes involved
access to a destination where the ecologically sustainable tourism operation would be established and operated or access to comprehensive and sufficient information about that destination to allow the candidate to plan for strategically, establish and operate an ecologically sustainable tourism operation and monitor any environmental impact
access to current regulatory documents distributed by key land management agencies and federal, state or territory, and local governments, such as plain English legislative publications, codes and standards outlining environmental regulatory requirements
involvement and interaction with a group of people so that consultation with key stakeholders can be achieved.


Methods of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess the practical skills and knowledge required to plan and develop ecologically sustainable tourism operations. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:
review of a completed plan for the tourism operation, including analysis of all evaluations that have been conducted
review of codes of practice developed by the candidate
review of environmental impact monitoring reports completed by the candidate and action plans for any required corrective measures
project activities to plan and develop an ecologically sustainable tourism operation in conjunction with industry
project activities to plan and develop an ecologically sustainable tourism operation for a given environmentally sensitive area
case studies to assess the candidate's ability to evaluate the development and operation of different tourism operations with differing environmental issues
case studies and projects to assess the candidate's ability to improve the ecological sustainability of existing tourism operations
written and oral questioning or interview to test knowledge such as environmental regulatory requirements, minimal impact techniques and methods of managing tourism impact
review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate.
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:
SITTPPD001A Research, assess and develop tourism products
SITTPPD004A Plan and implement minimal impact operations
SITTPPD007A Plan and develop culturally appropriate tourism operations
SITXFIN005A Prepare and monitor budgets.


Assessing employability skills
Employability skills are integral to effective performance in the workplace and are broadly consistent across industry sectors. How these skills are applied varies between occupations and qualifications due to the different work functions and contexts.Employability skills embedded in this unit should be assessed holistically with other relevant units that make up the skill set or qualification and in the context of the job role.