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.
Regulations and legislation may include:
contract of employment, and related industrial awards, both federal and state or territory
responsibilities of both the employer and the employee under federal and state legislation:
affirmative action
OHS, anti-discrimination and harassment
prevention of cruelty to animals
taxation law and superannuation requirements
workers compensation.
Industry sector rules may include:
the Rules of Racing (harness and thoroughbred)
industry and breed associations activities:
bushmans' carnival
campdrafting
carriage driving
endurance
hacking
Olympic disciplines
polo and polocrosse
pony club
vaulting
western competition.
Key industry personnel may include:
committees or industry governing bodies:
board members
organisation administrators
race or competition personnel:
stewards
technical delegate
ground jury
race day or competition veterinarian.
Roles and functions may include:
collaborating with other specialists:
other farriers
physical therapists
veterinarians
providing a consultation service to race or competition personnel
providing a service as a contractor to a stud, agistment or training centre
providing a service to a competition team at a specific event
providing a service to private customer
supervising the work of other farriers
working under the supervision of another farrier.
Timeframe considerations may include:
allowing adequate travel time between jobs
applying reporting procedures within the enterprise
following standard operating procedures
planning the order of work tasks
responding to requests and completing tasks punctually and within safe work practices and procedures guidelines.
Personal health and fitness issues may include:
personal hygiene
principles of maintaining personal health and fitness:
nutrition
exercise covering:
core strength and stability
flexibility
understanding of the impact of drug/alcohol use on health and fitness levels.
Vaccination requirements may include:
influenza
tetanus.
Personal presentation standards may include:
clothing is clean, in good repair, suitably durable for physical work performed primarily outdoors and presents a professional impression to clients and others
hair is tied back or able to be kept out of eyes and away from heat sources
language and manner is courteous to others
no jewellery
no loose clothing
personal protective equipment:
gloves for some tasks
items for sun and other weather protection
safety footwear and leg protection.
Verbal and written communication strategies may include:
verbal communication:
answering questions
describing actions
gathering information from clients and specialists
reporting findings to owners
reporting findings to veterinarians and other specialists
written communication:
documenting work tasks for invoicing clients
completing horse history records.
Technology used to support communication may include:
answering machines, pagers and fax machines
computer:
email and internet
data storage and retrieval
account software
telephones/mobile phones.

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:
comply with the rules and regulations applicable to employers and employees in the farriery industry
comply with the responsibilities of a farrier working in a range of equine industry sectors
perform farriery tasks to industry standards within the nominated timeframe
maintain personal health and fitness and personal presentation standards required by the industry
apply a range of verbal and written communication strategies to communicate effectively within the enterprise and with clients
use technology to assist communication.

The skills and knowledge required to work effectively as a farrier in the equine industries 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 worksites, where routine farriery tasks are performed, or in a situation that reproduces normal work conditions.

There must be access to 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).