Elements and Performance Criteria

The range of variables places the competency in context and allows for differences between enterprises and workplaces, including practices, knowledge and requirements. The range of variables also provides a focus for assessment and relates to the unit as a whole. The following variables may be present:

Product applications:
May include:
· recipes
· formulations
· specifications
· samples
· product demonstrations.

Customers:
· retailers
· wholesalers
· institutional users
· end users, including caterers, restaurants, fast-food outlets, dieticians, nutritionists and/or domestic consumers
· customers with routine or special requests
· may include people from a range of social, cultural or ethnic backgrounds.

Advice systems:
May include:
· manuals
· brochures
· advice sheets
· verbal advice derived from the above
· websites

Commercially sensitive information:
· development strategies
· new products undergoing market testing
· equipment requirements for the adoption of new products
· product or unit costings
· comparisons with competing or similar products.

Each unit of competency has an evidence guide that relates directly to the performance criteria and the range of variables. Its purpose is to guide assessment of the unit in the workplace and/or training program. The following components provide information to assist this purpose.

Underpinning knowledge
The essential knowledge and understanding a person needs to perform work to the required standards include:
· seafood species including quality characteristics, yield and food safety parameters
· production processes
· principles of product development.

Practical skills
The essential skills a person needs to perform work to the required standards include:
· identifying composition or characteristics of a specie/s and/or each of the main ingredients used in a processed product
· planning
· interpreting product information from standards, regulations, specifications and/or sales information
· communicating with workteams, management and customers
· analysing market intelligence to capitalise on opportunities
· determining cost structures for new products to demonstrate viability
· giving appropriate attention to detail
· solving problems.

Oral and written workplace communication skills used for:
· reading and interpreting specifications, sales and production information
· preparing technical information and advice
· reading and writing correspondence
· reading and interpreting food safety and other standards
· preparing reports
· recording information
· communicating verbal information to customers, clients and suppliers.

Numeracy skills used for:
· calculating production data
· estimating costs
· establishing pricing data
· estimating margins and/or calculating mark-up
· converting currency using foreign exchange rates
· recording numerical information.

Critical aspects of competence
Assessment must confirm the ability to:
· perform the tasks necessary to provide accurate and reliable advice to users of the seafood product and to satisfy the requirements of the enterprise in respect of confidentiality and in the recording of advice given.

Assessment must confirm knowledge of:
· location of workplace information relating to product specification/s
· test methods used to identify species and/or other ingredients
· relating customer or consumer capabilities with the requirements of the product specification
· likely causes of product failure to identify preferred handling methods
· development of advice that is easily understandable by end-users
· use of information systems to develop accurate advice relating to product or process costings
· relevant food safety standards including those which apply in end-users' facilities
· HACCP planning
· requirements for providing advice in a language other than english
· requirements for final preparation or presentation of the product including temperature stability during re-conditioning
· likely change/s to product during final preparation or presentation of the product
· storage requirements of the product in relation to time and temperature
· origins of the product in particular, the catch method and processing timeframe involved
· factors which may affect shelf-life of the product
· processing methods used
· procedures for re-working or disposing of unacceptable product
· food safety hazards present in the final transformation of the product
· determination of use-by-dates.

Interdependent assessment of units
This unit may be assessed after/with:
· No recommendations.

Context of assessment
Assessment may be conducted in the workplace or in a simulated work environment.

Method of assessment
Observation of practical exercises in the workplace or in a simulated work environment.

Resources required for assessment
· enterprise product specifications
· descriptive data relating to seafood species
· food safety and other relevant standards
· historical production and costing data as appropriate
· access to enterprise expertise in costing, production and/or processing
· access to translators or copies of translated materials
· access to customers or clients to confirm useability of advice generated.