Elements and Performance Criteria

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.

Sources of information may include:
brochures and pamphlets
campaign briefs
internet and intranet
instruction or product manuals
supervisors and other staff.
Enterprise policies and procedures may include:
financial and decision-making delegations
referral and escalation paths
scope of the services to be provided.
Organisational requirements may include:
access and equity principles and practice
business and performance plans
defined resource parameters
ethical standards
goals, objectives, plans, systems and processes
legal and organisational policies, guidelines and requirements
OHS policies, procedures and programs
quality and continuous improvement processes and standards
quality assurance and procedures manual.
Key players may include:
employer organisations
industry publications and government departments involved in IT industry promotion
IT organisations
IT professional bodies
relevant unions
vendors of IT products and services.
Equipment may include:
hard drives
hubs
modems and other connectivity devices, such as digital subscriber line (DSL) modems
monitors
personal computers (PCs)
personal digital assistants (PDAs)
printers
switches
workstations
other peripheral devices.
Operating systems may include:
GNU and Linux
Mac OS X
Microsoft Windows
Unix-like operating systems:
HP-UX
IBM AIX
Silicon Graphics IRIX
Sun Solaris.
Software may include:
commercial software applications
organisation-specific software.
Respond appropriately may relate to:
answering enquiries promptly and appropriately
discussing, agreeing and recording supply arrangements with client
recording details in enterprise system
using appropriate questioning and active listening techniques to understand client needs and determine support requirements
using clear, simple and easy to understand language
ensuring responses are comprehensive.
Client may include:
employees
external organisations
individuals
internal departments
work colleagues.
Written information may include:
briefing notes
electronic mail
fax
general correspondence
handwritten and printed materials
internal memos
telephone messages.
Appropriate person may include:
authorised business representative
client
supervisor.
Cultural differences may relate to:
content of emails and business documents
customer service
design of templates
policies relating to safety standards
quality
security
the way people interact with each other.

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 ability to:
process internal and external requests according to organisational policies and requirements
respond promptly to client enquiries and requests from colleagues.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure access to:
a workstation
a range of IT equipment, operating systems, software and technical information
organisational policies, procedures and governance documents
appropriate learning and assessment support when required.
Where applicable, physical resources should include equipment modified for people with special needs.
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 observation of candidate responding to clients’ requests and enquiries relating to the organisation’s IT systems, equipment and software
review of candidate’s collection of documented written messages and records
verbal or written questioning to assess candidate’s knowledge of organisational key roles, and technical capability and requirements.
Guidance information for assessment
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, where appropriate.
Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and suitable to the communication skill level, language, literacy and numeracy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.
Indigenous people and other people from a non-English speaking background may need additional support.
In cases where practical assessment is used it should be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge.