Introduction to the Pest Management Sector
These pages provide an overview of the Pest Management Sector including:
| Skill sets for the Pest Management Sector |
|
Imported units of competency in pest management qualifications |
Sector workforce
The Pest Management Sector of the property services industry provides pest management services in urban and rural environments. The sector is comprised of some large and many micro businesses, the majority of which are owner-operators. Employees consult with clients to identify pests, assess pest management options and apply a range of treatments depending on the type of pest, its location and client requirements. These businesses work closely with equipment and chemical manufacturers in an effort to improve pest control services, treatment methods, equipment and newer technology in chemicals.
Emerging trends in the sector
There are few major industry trends within the Pest Management Sector. With an increasing consumer awareness of health, safety and environmental issues, the use of environmentally friendly chemical products has been a significant change for the sector. Advances in equipment and techniques also impact the sector. Emerging techniques for pest management include the use of pheromone traps, creation of O2 starved environments, and use of thermal, motor and sonic detection equipment. Other environmental factors such as water and use of resources are also becoming increasingly important. Additionally, there is a growing need to better understand climate change and what this could potentially mean to the pest management industry.
Training environment
The Pest Management Sector is affected more by recuitment and retention issues than skill shortages although there are skill gaps to be addressed by on-the-job training. Language and literacy limitations of the workers and prospective recruits is also a factor and needs to be dealt with through enhanced trainining given the safey issues affecting many aspects of the work.
More emphasis on the need for qualified personnel is required to build up the skills base by training to meet anticipated growth and the need for quality service. A focus on compliance training for licensing and OHS requirements is needed. However, even where training is offered it is limited in scope due to RTO facilities and expertise and can be difficult to access at convenient times and locations.
The key issues affecting training in the sector include:
§ a trend towards more specialisation in operations
§ a growing importance of balancing technical skills with understanding, and providing service to, the customer
§ the importance of 'risk assessment' to the sector and to the management of the job.
Identified skill development needs include:
§ the need for units of competency to reflect the different pest types across the nation
§ diagnostic procedures for the identification of pests is a critical skill
§ the need to reflect the complex skill levels required in fumigation and also timber pests
§ the ability to meet increasing demands for OHS compliance by clients and ability to meet requirement of recognised standards including ISO1400
§ appropriate use of emerging techniques including pheromone traps
§ the potential identification and use of ‘skill sets’ to reflect regulatory requirements.
Pest management training demands focus on the importance of understanding environmental risk plus meeting increasing demands for OHS compliance and new technology. The most recent review of the nationally endorsed units and qualifications for the Pest Management Sector has addressed the current needs of the sector and enhances emerging skills in the industry.
Qualifications framework for the Pest Management Sector
There are two qualifications for the Pest Management Sector, one at Certificate III and one at Certificate IV.
The packaging rules of qualifications provide a great degree of flexibility. In general, they allow the selection of elective units from both within the CPP07 Training Package, and other endorsed Training Packages, as well as from one AQF level above the qualification.
The individual qualifications structure including packaging rules for the Pest Management Sector is shown below. Remember to check the
NTIS website
for the latest version of the qualifications and units of competency they contain.
|
Qualification Code |
Qualification title |
AQF alignment |
|
CPP30909 |
3 |
|
|
CPP???? |
Certificate IV in Pest Management |
4 |
Skill Sets for the Pest Management Sector
Skill sets provide additional pathways to recognised training for people wishing to pursue career advancement or skills development without taking up a full qualification. Four skill sets are available for the Pest Management Sector. These have been developed in consultation with industry, to meet skills development requirements for flexibility where whole qualifications do not meet the needs of specific groups.
The skill sets for the Pest Management Sector and a summary of their intended audience, are listed below. Remember to check the NTIS website for the latest version of the skill sets and units of competency they contain.
Skill set | Audience |
People performing for basic pest management operations, excluding timber pests, in all states and territories except Western Australia. | |
People performing pest management operations for timber pests in all states and territiories except Western Australia. | |
People performing basic fumigation operations, excluding timber pests, in all states and territories except Western Australia. | |
People with responsibility for managing large-scale fumigation operations, such as those conducted on aircraft and ships. |
Units of competency for the Pest Management Sector
The Pest Management Sector has been redeveloped with 17 sector-specific, and 5 imported units of competency. These provide greater coverage of industry functions, and also accommodate emerging skills needs. (Please note that these units are based on CPP30909 only - Certificate IV units of competency will be added once the training package review is finalised)
Click HERE to view a complete listing of Pest Management Sector units and the individual descriptor and statement of workplace application for each. To view the individual units of competency, visit the NTIS website.
Imported units of competency in pest management qualifications
Within the Pest Management Sector qualifications, some use has been made of endorsed units of competency drawn from other Training Packages. The imported units of competency cover generic cross-industry functions. These units are accessed from the following Training Packages which can be accessed via the NTIS website:
§ BSB07 Business Services Training Package
§ FNS04 Financial Services Training Package
§ HLT07 Health Training Package
§ TAA04 Training and Assessment Training Package
Click HERE to view a summary of the imported units of competency from these Training Packages, and the Pest Management Sector qualifications that they have been packaged within.