Skills Impact, as an expert skills and industry service organisation, performs the role of one of six Skills Service Organisations (SSOs), contracted by the Commonwealth. As part of this role, we support 12 Industry Reference Committees (IRCs), covering more than 120 sectors, and maintain more than 3000 units of competency and 400 qualifications.
In this role we are accountable for providing technical, operational and secretariat services to support IRCs to plan industry engagement and to guide training package development and review activities.
IRCs guide and direct our work with industry to ensure training packages (i.e. units of competency, skill sets and qualifications) reflect their existing and emerging workforce development needs.
All IRCs and their members are appointed by the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC). Each IRC is made up of people with experience, skills and knowledge of their industry sector.
We provide support services to the following IRCs:
- Agriculture and Production Horticulture IRC
- Amenity Horticulture, Landscaping, Conservation and Land Management IRC
- Animal Care and Management IRC
- Aquaculture and Wild Catch IRC
- Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical IRC
- Forest Management and Harvesting IRC
- Meat IRC
- Pharmaceutical Manufacturing IRC
- Pulp and Paper Manufacturing IRC
- Racing and Breeding IRC
- Timber and Wood Processing IRC
- Timber Building Solutions IRC
We provide the following services to these IRCs:
- Secretariat services and assist IRCs with industry engagement, to gather information about skills needs.
- Develop Skills Forecasts and Annual Updates, as well as proposals for training package projects to review units, skill sets and qualifications.
- Undertake approved training package Projects with oversight by the IRCs, including drafting units, skill sets and qualifications, in preparation for endorsement by the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC).
We support IRCs to improve and develop the following training packages:
- ACM Animal Care and Management Training Package
- AHC Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package
- AMP Australian Meat Processing Training Package
- FBP Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical Training Package
- FWP Forest and Wood Products Training Package
- PPM Pulp & Paper Manufacturing Industry Training Package
- RGR Racing and Breeding Training Package
- SFI Seafood Industry Training Package
Note: Industry Reference Committees, with support from SSOs, now have responsibility for training package development, including units of competency, skill sets and qualifications. Training packages were previously maintained by Industry Skills Councils (ISCs), under the previous system for training package development.