Sustainability Skills
Introduction
One of the vital workforce development needs for the service industries is the requirement to adopt sustainable practices. As stated in the Service Skills Australia Environmental Scan 2009, "Greater awareness of these issues and how they should be managed within enterprise needs to be incorporated into VET training. With consumers making more purchasing choices based upon sustainability issues, training in areas such as product knowledge, brand marketing and consumer information will need to be enhanced and updated."
Earlier in 2009, Service Skills Australia also participated in the Industry Skills Councils' review of environmental sustainability in training packages, which resulted in a report entitled ‘Environmental Sustainability: An Industry Response' (available at www.isc.org.au).
Although the service industries are not seen as a major contributor to high carbon levels and a polluted environment, it is one of the industries with the most customer contact and therefore presents possibilities to build awareness. In the service industries, we believe it is imperative to contextualise existing skills and change behaviour.
Many of the sustainable skill requirements for the service industries relate to product knowledge, purchasing criteria and business practices as well as imparting sustainability consciousness onto customers. When a customer sees sustainable practice in a hotel, local food promoted in their favourite café and sustainable products used at a hairdresser, it raises the awareness of sustainable practice, engages customers and helps to change existing mindsets - of both customers and the workforce.
With the continued growth of the service industries, this takes on greater importance as it presents the opportunity to impart sustainable business practices to a greater number of people.
Incorporating Sustainability Skills into Training Packages
Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, has called for all training packages to incorporate the principles and competencies of sustainability by the end of 2010.
Service Skills Australia is committed to ensuring sustainable work practices are appropriately included in all training packages.
Service Skills Australia has already achieved substantial inclusion of sustainability into our existing Training Packages. Below is a detailed breakdown of where these inclusions occur and how they will be further incorporated.
For more information on how SSA will work towards meeting the sustainability issues around training in your industry please see our Sustainability Skills Stocktake and Gap Analysis Report March 2010.
Sustainability Skills within the service industry sector training packages.
The following training packages were developed and are being maintained by SSA:
- SIT07 Tourism Hospitality and Events
- SIF08 Funeral Services
- SIR07 Retail Services
- SIS09 Sport and Recreation
- WRB04 Beauty
- WRF04 Floristry
- WRH06 V2 Hairdressing
SIT07 Tourism, Hospitality and Events
Sustainability skills in the tourism, hospitality and events industries focus on:
- Workplace practices - including energy efficiencies, waste minimisation, and disposal and water conservation
- Product knowledge - including communicating environmental credentials to customers and awareness of environmental impact of activities
- Product and service design and development - with consideration to sustainability issues
- Supply chain management - according to sustainability criteria
- Leadership - including business planning, marketing and management according to sustainability criteria and values
The Tourism, Hospitality and Events Training Package was upgraded to version 2.3 in January 2011 to address sustainability gaps in the training package. While earlier versions of the training package covered fundamental social, economic and environmental sustainability factors, version 2.3 addresses some of the inconsistencies in coverage, and also strengthens the coverage of environmental sustainability factors.
For further information please see Tourism, Hospitality and Events Continuous Improvement
SIF08 Funeral Services
Environmental sustainability issues that are addressed within this package are found within the following units of competency:
- SIFBCR001A Co-ordinate burial site preparation and re-instalment
- SIFOHS007A Identify hazards and assess risks in a cemetery or crematorium
- SIFMWK017A Design a mortuary
- SIFOHS004A Work in confined space.
These units are incorporated into Certificate III to Diploma qualifications. Specific references to sustainability skills within these units include: adherence to the Environmental Protection Act; hygiene and waste management and disposal; water tables and water quality protection; non-compacted soil; the clearing of work area and the disposal of, or recycling of, materials according to project environmental management plan.
SIR07 Retail Services
Besides being a green employer and developing environmental concept stores, the retail and wholesale industries has significant potential to provide a range of sustainable products and services, as well as advice on water and energy efficient products to consumers - SSA Environmental Scan 2009 p21
Environmental sustainability issues that are addressed within this package are found within the following units of competency:
- SIRXCLM001A Organise and maintain work areas (offered at Certificate I, II, and III qualification levels).
- SIRXGLC003A Comply with legislative requirements affecting business activities (offered at Certificate II qualification level).
These units cover areas relating to the legislative requirements of environmental protection, waste removal, hazardous substances and dangerous goods (such as flammable goods, explosive goods and waste), avoiding spills, and the use of protective clothing.
SIS09 Sport and Recreation
The content of the sport, fitness, outdoor and community recreation workforce development strategy is currently being scoped and will include references to sustainable business practice and skills.
Units within the SIS09 Sport and Recreation training package that concern themselves with environmental issues can be drawn from the current Sport training package, shortly to be incorporated into SIS09, and the Outdoor Recreation units of competency. These are as follows:
- SISXRES402A Support implementation of environmental management practices (offered at Certificate III and IV qualification levels).
- SISXRES504A Conserve and re-establish natural systems
- SISXRES505A Achieve sustainable land management
- SISXRES506A Undertake open space planning
- SISOOPS201A Minimise environmental impact
- SISOOPS304A Plan for minimal environmental impact
- SISOOPS506A Manage natural resources.
The above units (with the exception of SISXRES402A and SISXRES504A) are at the final stages of development. These units are expected to be endorsed in December 2009. Qualification levels for these units will be finalised shortly.
The specific sustainability skills covered by these units are:
- Awareness and adherence to the aims and objectives of environmental management practices (programs, procedure and activities related to this may include environmental load reduction, waste management and energy saving).
- Environmental protection.
- The identification of threats and opportunities for the conservation and re-establishment of natural systems (in addition to the development, implementation and evaluation of strategies to conserve and re-establish natural systems).
- The undertaking of a land capacity studies and associated land management strategies.
- Open space planning.
- Pollution.
- Vegetation trampling.
- Introduction of new flora and fauna.
- Chemical alternation of environment.
- Avoidance of sensitive areas.
- Respect and protection of heritage and cultural sites.
- National and state environmental protection.
- Identification of interrelationships between the natural environment and human activity.
- Identification of potential impacts of outdoor recreation on the natural resource area.
- Access the implications of key ecological concepts on the conduct of outdoor recreation in natural resource areas.
WRB04 Beauty
The WRB04 Beauty Training Package is currently under review with the anticipation of endorsement in 2010 (SIB10). The proposed draft training package includes sustainability skills within individual tasks and also from a management perspective. Sustainability skills are proposed to be integrated within the units of the following functional areas:
- Body services
- Facial services
- Hair reduction services
- Nail services
- Spa services
- Skin services
An example of how sustainability skills are proposed to be integrated can be seen in the unit SIBBSPA001A - Work in a spa therapies framework. Amongst these skills are the following performance criteria:
- Ensure that condition of the spa environment and equipment complies with relevant laws, regulations and workplace guidelines regarding, water use, water hygiene and industry codes of practice.
- Follow manufacturer's and workplace instructions for the cleaning, use and maintenance of equipment.
- Ensure that relevant spa equipment is shut down according to manufacturer's instructions.
- Ensure the safe disposal of waste according to relevant laws, regulations and workplace policies and procedures
The skills of the unit also refer to maintaining and monitoring spa equipment, and knowledge is required of procedures for maintaining wet room and dry room equipment, the physical properties of water, the characteristics of water, the chemical properties of water, chemicals appropriate to the spa environment to maintain water hygiene, water supply and the efficient use of water in spa environments and minimising water usage.
WRF04 Floristry
The WRF04 Floristry Training Package is currently under review and is expected to be endorsed in 2010 (SFL10). The proposed draft training package includes sustainability skills within individual tasks and also from a management perspective.
Sustainability skills are proposed to be integrated within the following second draft units:
- SFLDEC001A Design floristry products
- SFLDEC002A Design complex floristry products
- SFLDEC003A Style and manage an event
- SFLDEC004A Assemble floristry products
- SFLDEC005A Construct hand tied floristry products
- SFLDEC006A Construct wired floristry products
- SFLDEC007A Construct floristry products with a base medium
- SFLDEC008A Construct complex floristry products
- SFLSOP001A Source information on floristry products and services
- SFLSOP003A Receive and store floristry stock
- SFLSOP004A Prepare and care for floristry stock
- SFLSOP009A Research, assess and develop a floristry product range
Successful completion of the floristry qualifications requires knowledge of the environmental impact of constructing and maintaining floristry products and minimising impact practices to reduce these, especially those that relate to energy use. Knowledge also needs to be displayed of the correct and environmentally sound disposal methods for all types of waste and in particular for hazardous substances, spoiled and diseased flower and plant materials and those that have a propensity to propagate weeds. Safe use of hazardous substances such as cleaning and conditioning agents and preservatives is also required.
WRH06 V2 Hairdressing
Sustainability issues are addressed in the following areas of client services:
- WRHCS204A Maintain and organise work areas
Required skills for this unit include the safe use of electrical and other equipment, and knowledge is required of waste disposal and environmental protection.
- WRHCS207A Develop hairdressing industry knowledge
The range statement for this unit states that issues for concern may include environmental and social issues.
In addition, there are other competency fields that may include more specific references to sustainability skills; for example, units relating to colour and lighting, chemical reformation and salon management. These issues will be further considered.
