For the past 18 months, a group of Permaculture Educators has been working hard to complete the 5-yearly review of Permaculture in conjunction with Skills Impact, who are the Skills Service Organisation that manages the AHC – Agriculture, Horticulture & Conservation and Ecosystem Management – Training Package of which Permaculture is a part.
There have been many opportunities for engagement with this process and lots of you have participated which is great as it means the resulting Units, Qualifications and Skill Sets will be ‘fit for purpose’. It also means that you will have the chance to participate in and benefit from the roll out of the reviewed courses, if you wish.
Training providers, including those offering the PDC, might be interested in partnering with RTOs to offer some components of this training
There will be funding available for some programs in some States
There will be opportunities for those with current qualifications (including Certificate IV in Training and Assessment) to deliver this training
There will also be opportunities to work with the Education Team of Permaculture Australia to update assessment tools and training materials
And of course there will be opportunities for study and professional development
In a nutshell, here are the main components resulting from the Review:
5 reviewed qualifications
48 units of competency
13 skill sets
It is exciting to note that many of the barriers between the PDC and the accredited training have been removed, and it is now much easier for teachers and trainers to find work in the accredited system (with a TAE qualification, of course). It is also exciting to note that two of the new skill sets have been specifically developed to bridge gaps:
Permaculture Designer Skill Set – corresponds to the core skills and knowledge of the PDC This skill set describes the skills and knowledge for working with clients and community to design and develop private, community or enterprise based permaculture systems in rural and urban
environments. Comprised of units:
AHCPER401 Provide advice on permaculture principles and practices
AHCPER402 Design a rural permaculture system
AHCPER403 Design an urban permaculture system
AHCPER4X3 Select ‘appropriate technology’ for a permaculture system
AHCPER406 Identify and analyse bioregional characteristics and resources
Advanced Permaculture Skill Set – bridges the gap between Diploma of Permaculture and Bachelor Degree in the Higher Education system
This skill set describes advanced skills and knowledge to help individuals to transition into higher education. The units provide skills and knowledge for planning community governance and developing strategic plans for permaculture projects. Comprised of units:
AHCPER6X1 Develop a strategic plan for a permaculture project or enterprise
AHCPER6X2 Plan community governance and decision-making processes
AHCPER6X3 Prepare a sustainable community and bioregional development strategy
The timeline for the roll out depends on the government processes, but we anticipate that the newly endorsed courses will be available from early 2023. If you are interested in the process or want to familiarise yourself with what has been done, please go to the Skills Impact project page and click through to the areas that interest you. You can find the documents that correspond to earlier stages in the process by clicking on the arrows in the flow chart.
Finally, Permaculture Australia would like to acknowledge the work of the following people and organisations who participated in the Subject Matter Expert Working Group:
Lis Bastian, Blue Mountains Permaculture Institute
Fiona Blackham, GAIA Permaculture
Sue Brunskill, Permaculture Australia
Rob Fenton, National Environment Centre, TAFE NSW
Robyn Francis, Permaculture College Australia
Graeme George, Permaculture Yarra Valley
Megan Hall, South Regional TAFE WA
Julianne Hartman, Byron Regional Community College
Martina Hoeppner, Permaculture West
Keri Hopeward, Permaculture SA
Lachlan McKenzie, International Permaculture Educators Network
Ross Mars, Water Installations Pty Ltd
Janet Milllington – Eumundy Community Gardens
Kushala Prem, Natural Systems Permaculture
Nicole Steel, Byron Regional Community College
Karen van Huizen – Alpine Shire Emergency Management
Aaron Sorensen, Elemental Permaculture
Virginia Solomon, Permaculture Australia
Richard Vinycomb, Byron Regional Community College
And our amazing professional training consultants from Skills Impact
Ruth Geldard, Industry Skills Standards Specialist, Skills Impact
Ron Barrow, Writer, Skills Impact and Nestor Consulting
We all look forward to rolling out our new courses and to energetic participation and enthusiasm from permies everywhere.
For further information on the Review and the new components, please contact
education@permacultureaustralia.org.au