CFMEU FOREST AND FOREST PRODUCTS DIVISION NATIONAL POLICY ON SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING ENDORSED BY NATIONAL DIVISIONAL EXECUTIVE 13TH May 1993 REVISED 25TH April 1994 SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING POLICY This document sets out the Policy of the CFMEU FOREST AND FOREST PRODUCTS DIVISION on Skill Development and Training for the information of Members, Representatives and Officials. Included with the Policy is an introduction which provides a background for the reading and application of the Policy. This Policy is binding on all CFMEU FOREST AND FOREST PRODUCTS DIVISION Members, Representatives and Officials. Any queries about the Policy should be directed to either the Branch or Divisional Offices. 1. INTRODUCTION The Forest and Furnishing Products Division has over the last five years developed and implemented a progressive program of workplace reform in the Forest and Furnishing Products Industry. This reform is aimed at developing the Industry towards becoming technologically advanced, high value added, competitive and export/import replacement oriented. This type of industry will support, and indeed require a highly skilled, well organised and motivated workforce receiving good conditions and high wages. This Policy states the position of the Forest and Forest Products Division in relation to developing the skills of the workforce for our members benefit in order to deliver the rewards that successful workplace reform can offer. Workplace reform will not happen by the development of higher workforce skills alone however reform cannot occur without higher skill levels for all employees across all areas of the industry especially in the area of management. The advantage of higher skill levels will only be realised when these skills are put in the context of the introduction of new technology, new work practices, changing work organisation, consultation through consultative committee and with the aim for continued improvement in all facets of the workplace. 2. AIMS OF THIS POLICY The aims of this Policy are to: Provide Forest and Furnishing Products Division officials and members with direction in regards to developing higher skills for the industry in a manner that provides the greatest benefit to not only our members and the enterprise they work in but to the whole industry and the Australian economy. This necessitates a nationally consistent approach with an industry focus that is flexible enough to meet the needs of a wide range of differing enterprises. This Policy completely rejects the concept of developing narrow enterprise based/specific skills and focuses on developing nationally recognised, broad based and transferable skills for our members. The benefits of a skill development program leading to higher levels of nationally recognised industry skills in the context of associated workplace reform are listed below and provide the reasons why the Forest and Furnishing Products Division are pursuing this Policy. Access to skill development provides access to higher levels in career paths for our members; Allows for more interesting and challenging work; Improves productivity and efficiency leading to better Enterprise Bargaining outcomes; Increases job mobility for union members between companies, States and across Australia; Properly values all skills held by our members Improves Equal Opportunity for all union members. 3. POLICY DETAILS The following Policy details are divided into the following areas; National, Branch and Enterprise. 3.1 NATIONAL COMPETENCY STANDARDS National Industry Competency Standards to be developed in conjunction with the NFITC and the NTB. The Forest and Furnishing Products Division supports the National Training Board, Industry Training Councils and the Competency Standards System. All training and skills recognition should be in relation to National Industry Competency Standards. SKILL RECOGNITION The NFITC is to develop an appropriate skills recognition system in the form of "skills Record Book". These nationally recognised Skill Record along with competency standards will deliver for our members easily recognisable and portable industry skill qualifications. ASSESSMENT National Industry assessment procedures are to be developed that will provide our members with fair assessment and proper recognition for the skills they have now (regardless of how they were learnt) and the skills they will develop in the future. Assessment is to be based on Industry Competency Standards and to be conducted by qualified assessors registered by the NFITC. The criteria for a NFITC registered assessor is that they meet the national competency standards for workplace assessors and are skilled in the area they are assessing. This Policy states that most assessors should be chosen from the ranks of the union members to be trained as assessors and to assess other members in the skills the assessor is competent in. Great care must be taken to ensure that the assessing system is not dominated by management or training provider based assessors. (see Forest and Furnishing Products Division National document of Assessment). TRAINING CURRICULUM Training Cirriculum is to be based on Competency Standards and where possible to be developed nationally. Training can be ajusted to suit enterprise needs providing the appropriate Competency standards are met as a minimum. TRAINING PROVIDERS Public providers such as TAFE and industry based skill centres are to be the preferred providers of training, all else being reasonably equal. WORKPLACE TRAINERS Whenever possible developing our members' with the skill to be workplace trainers is the preferred option for the provision of most workplace training. Workplace trainers should be trained to meet National Workplace Trainers Competency Standards and are to be paid extra for these skills. Payments should be based on the Laminex Wagga Wagga IR Commission decision of 1991 as a minimum. AWARD CLAUSE Award provisions for issues regarding skill development and training leave are to be negotiated over time. The establishment of enterprise skill agreements will increase the opportunity for negotiating substantial award provisions. 3.2 BRANCHES Branches should ensure that the National Model Skill Development and Training Agreement is pursued vigorously and negotiated in each enterprise. Branches are to advise National Divisional Office of the status of all such agreements so that records can be kept and an Award clause to cover training issues can be pursued. The Enterprise Consultative Committee is to have carriage over all training and skill development issues at an enterprise level. Union Representatives on the ECC must follow Union Policy. Branches are to ensure that enterprises participate in the National Skills System and do not develop their own system to replace or supersede the national one. Branches should advocate the advantages of the national system and broad based transferable skills and actively discourage the development of training around narrow enterprise specific skills. (Enterprise specific skills can be built upon broad industry skills and would be additional). 3.3 ENTERPRISE Enterprise skill development issues must be covered with an enterprise skill agreement. The Forest and Furnishing Products Division Model Skill Development and Training Agreement sets out the requirements for skill development and training at an enterprise. 4. POLICY ACTION National Divisional Office is responsible for and will take appropriate steps to ensure that: Competency Standards Skill Recognition System National Assessment System Award Clause Are developed with appropriate consultation with and feedback from Branches. Branches are responsible for: Implementing the Model Skill Agreement in each enterprise; Actively encouraging skill development; Educating shop stewards and ECC Representatives in skill development issues; Ensuring that ECC's are responsible for all development matters including budgetary requirements through the Training Guarantee Act.