of technical trades and languages

of technical trades and languages AHC30116 Certificate III in Agriculture

At Open Colleges, we are passionate about helping people from all walks of life to achieve their aspirations and dreams. For more than 100 years, we have been opening opportunities for people across Australia. Today, Open Colleges is blazing a new trail in online and distance education creating Australia s leaders in next generation learning. Why study with Open Colleges? Freedom study where you want, when you want Our courses and learning materials have been designed specifically for open learning Our trainers are industry professionals with experience in supporting open learning students Our dedicated student support team is there to help you every step of the way Our virtual campus OpenSpace provides you with opportunities to interact with trainers and students Many of our courses are nationally recognised and meet professional licensing or registration requirements North Coast TAFE and Open Colleges In a first of its kind innovation, Open Colleges has now proudly partnered with one of the largest training providers in Australia, North Coast TAFE. Part of the TAFE NSW network, North Coast TAFE provides thousands of students with government accredited and nationally recognised training programs every year. Open Colleges students can now gain TAFE qualifications delivered via our innovative virtual campus OpenSpace, giving you the benefit of accessing a secure, interactive learning environment which supports you in all elements of your study. Combine nationally recognised TAFE credentials with all the flexibility and accessibility of learning through Open Colleges and study anytime, anywhere in Australia.

of technical trades and languages AHC30116 Certificate III in Agriculture The Certificate III in Agriculture will give you a broad understanding of the industry as well as the specialist skills to start working with livestock, crops, or both in a farm setting. The Certificate III in Agriculture is the perfect choice if you already work in the industry and want to extend your knowledge of livestock, crops, or both. It s also a great choice if you re just starting out in farming and agriculture and want an all-round understanding of the industry. What will you learn? > Farming basics and agriculture essentials > How to use and maintain farming machinery, tools and equipment. > How to use chemicals safely and manage biosecurity threats You ll then choose to specialise in one of these areas: > Livestock learn about feeding and handling livestock > Crops gain an understanding of plants, establishing and maintaining crops, troubleshooting irrigation systems. > Mixed livestock and crops COURSE DETAILS Course number Delivery mode Course duration Assessments Qualification Nationally recognised Awarded by E1216 Online with work placement Maximum 18 months Knowledge tests, project, logbook, workplace portfolio, student and supervisor interviews, workplace final report Certificate III Yes TAFE NSW - North Coast Institute (RTO 90010) in partnership with Open Colleges Pty Ltd The course will give you access to TradeHub as part of your studies. Trade Hub is a literacy and numeracy support tool, which explains key concepts that you will need to understand to work in agriculture (area, volume, instructions, and safety documents).

AHC30116 Certificate III in Agriculture What you need to know about this course COURSE NUMBER E1216 How is the course delivered? This is an online course with a work placement. This means that you will complete your knowledge and skills development through online learning. You will also undertake a work placement. Work Placement allows you to practise and master practical skills and gain invaluable workplace experience and contacts. You must complete Unit of Competency assessments as well as Workplace assessments to be deemed competent for Workplace Units. Work placement is mandatory and must be completed progessively through the course. Grades for these Units may only be issued upon completion of the work placement. What is online learning? OpenSpace is Open Colleges online campus. Through OpenSpace you will: > Access your learning materials and assessments > Undertake and upload assessments > Engage and interact with your trainer > Participate in student forums and find a study buddy > Access your assessment grades and feedback > Access student support services. What learning materials are included with this course? The following resources are provided to you via OpenSpace: > TradeHub > Weblinks and image galleries > Instructional videos > Samples of completed workplace documentation and policies and procedures > State-based legislation relevant to agriculture including Work Health and Safety and environmental compliance. What is work placement? Work placement is a structured learning program undertaken in an approved workplace. It involves doing set tasks and activities over time under the guidance of a workplace supervisor and Open Colleges workplace assessor. A work placement is a highly stimulating and rewarding part of the course. It will enable you to participate in a real workplace and put into practice the new skills and knowledge that you are learning in the course. Workplace assessment The work placement also provides Open Colleges with an opportunity to assess the skills and knowledge you have developed through the course in the workplace. This is called workplace assessment. During the work placement, you are required to complete a logbook of your attendance at the host organisation, undertake assigned tasks in your portfolio of evidence and gather appropriate evidence of your task completion. You will also be in regular contact with your workplace assessor who will check in with you to guide and support you during the work placement. Specific workplace requirements Duration: You will need to complete two work placements that will amount to a total of 175-180 hours (5 weeks full-time work). The first work placement will be a minimum of 105 hours (3 weeks full-time work) and the second work placement will be a minimum of 70-75hours (2 weeks full time work).

AHC30116 Certificate III in Agriculture Workplace: The workplace will need to be a commercial broadacre field cropping and or commercial livestock production farm. Each facility will require the following equipment and resources: Equipment > Office equipment and resources including computer, photocopier, telephone > Instructions for use of equipment > Tools, machinery and equipment and manufacturer s instructions > Chemicals > Handheld or powered chemical application equipment > First aid kit Workplace, health and safety and environment > Emergency response procedures > Fire safety policies and procedures > Biosecurity procedures > Environmental sustainability practices > Workplace health and safety guidelines and manual > Personal protective equipment > SDS sheets Policies and procedures > WHS policies and procedures > Standard operation procedures > Incident reporting system Resources > Seeding and fertilising equipment > Fertilisers and pesticides > Pasture and crop establishment program Supervisor requirements: The workplace supervisor is required to have at least 5 years of experience in livestock and/ or cropping as a supervisor or farm manager. Equivalent qualifications in farming or agribusiness would be beneficial to engage the learner with a greater variety of skills and knowledge. The workplace supervisor also must have a minimum of an AQF level 3 Chemical handling accreditation. > Student requirements: Depending on the Host Organisation, learners may be asked to provide proof of immunisation for certain diseases which may include Q fever, tetanus, influenza or rabies. For full workplace requirements please see the Workplace Assessment Guide or contact us for more information. > Insurance: Open Colleges provides insurance cover for the mandatory work placement you undertake as part of your course. This insurance coverage includes Public and Products Liability Insurance as well as Student Personal Accident Insurance. > Questions? Contact our enrolment consultants on 1300 853 033 to discuss any questions you might have regarding the work placement requirements of the course. How is the course assessed? During the course, you will undertake: > Knowledge tests > Project > Logbook > Workplace portfolio > Student and supervisor interviews > Workplace final report What about Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)? We understand that you may already have many skills and areas of expertise that you have obtained in different ways and these are recognised through our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process. Open Colleges has developed an RPL Application Kit for this course. The Student Handbook, available on the Open Colleges website, provides more information about our RPL process. Alternatively, you can contact an enrolment consultant to discuss your RPL options. What is the duration of the course? The maximum duration for the course is 18 months. To complete the course in this timeframe, we recommend that you study a minimum of 21 hours per week. This is a guide only the time taken to complete your course will depend on your level of skill and knowledge.

AHC30116 Certificate III in Agriculture What are the admission requirements for the course? Minimum age requirements You will need to be at least 18 years old. Education recognition There are no formal education entry requirements for this course. English language requirements This course requires you to read comprehensive learner workbooks, undertake a range of written assessments and independent research activities and engage in online discussion forums. Furthermore, the course relies on the extensive use of written communication. As such, entry to the course requires the successful completion of English to Year 10 level. If you have not successfully completed English at Year 10 level, they can demonstrate equivalency in one of the following: > Successful completion of a Nationally Recognised Training qualification at Certificate II level or higher; or > 2 years relevant industry experience in a role that requires the use of written documentation and communication. Open Colleges recognises that not all people are able to read, write and perform calculations to the same standard. To help give you an idea of the language, literacy and numeracy skills required to study this course, you can undertake the online Language, Literacy and Numeracy tool available on the Open Colleges website. This assessment tool can also help you determine your learning level and plan your future studies. Computing requirements You will need access to a computer and the internet and you must have basic computing skills. All users: > Microsoft Office 2010 or equivalent > Broadband internet connection > 2GB of RAM > CD-ROM or DVD drive > Adobe Reader XI or equivalent > Printer and associated software > Scanner and associated software > Digital imaging software > File compression software > Adobe Flash Player 10 or higher Windows users: > Microsoft Windows 7 or higher (Windows 8 recommended) > 1 Ghz or faster processer (2GHz recommended) Mac OS users: > Mac OSX v10.5 or higher (Mac OSX v10.6 recommended) > 1 Ghz or faster processer (2GHz recommended) Skill Requirements To successfully complete this course, you will require basic computing skills. This includes: > Creating, saving and editing Microsoft Office documents > Accessing and searching the internet > Downloading and saving documents from websites > Uploading documents through websites > Participating in online discussions > Connecting digital cameras and downloading and storing images > Compressing image files Audio-visual requirements You will need access to: > Software to view online videos and images such as Adobe Reader, Windows Media Player, Windows Photo Viewer etc. are available as a free download from the internet. > A digital video recording device and/or a digital camera. Many mobile phones and smart phones include this technology. Physical requirements Most of the units of competency include physical requirements, which include: > Manual dexterity (use of tools and equipment) > The ability to lift and carry general farm equipment and items > The ability to meet performance criteria and achieve a competent result. You will also need to be fully able bodied to successfully complete this qualification.

AHC30116 Certificate III in Agriculture Equipment and tools High visibility vest You will need to be provided with a high-visibility vest when working on farms. In the Course Overview you are provided a link to Uniform Super Store to order your high visibility vest which will be branded with the Open Colleges link. There is no cost for you for this item. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Personal Protective Equipment including covered boots or steel-capped boots, hearing and eye protection, rigor gloves, long-sleeved shirt and pants, sunscreen. Workplace requirements You will need access to additional materials and equipment related to specific units which you will need to consider when selecting a farm to conduct your assessment on. The list of equipment and tools required at the workpklace is available on page 5 of this course guide. What support services are available? During your studies with Open Colleges, you will have access to a comprehensive range of support services. These include: Academic support Your experienced trainers are available in OpenSpace to answer any questions you may have regarding the learning materials or assessments. Peer support As a student of Open Colleges you can also access our study buddy system. This enables you to connect with other Open Colleges students studying your course that live near you. Students find this is a great way to keep motivated and build lasting friendships and networks. More information? The Student Handbook, available on the Open Colleges website, provides more detailed information on the support services available to students. We recommend that you read the Student Handbook prior to enrolling with us. What will I obtain on completion of the course? Upon successful completion of this course, you will receive a nationally recognised qualification AHC30116 Certificate III in Agriculture, awarded by TAFE NSW - North Coast Institute (Provider Number: 90010). What funding support options exist? Austudy/Abstudy This course is Austudy/Abstudy approved however you will need to apply directly to Centrelink for information on eligibility. Student support The student support team is your one-stop service centre for all student administrative issues including enrolment, change of contact details, OpenSpace support, assessment results and certification. You can access the student support team in OpenSpace or by email or phone. Learning support The learning support team is a dedicated team of specialists that provide you with a comprehensive induction to studying with Open Colleges as well as specific support if you encounter learning difficulties during your studies. Learning support resources, such as writing guides, are available in OpenSpace. You can access the learning support team via your trainer or the student support team.

AHC30116 Certificate III in Agriculture Study Periods and units Once you are enrolled in this course, you will receive access to the first Study Period, which contains the first set of learning modules for the course. When you have successfully completed those modules in the Study Period, you ll be given access to the next Study Period. Each module is one unit of competency. Study Period Code Unit of competency AHCWRK201 Observe and report on weather Study Period 1 Farming basics Study Period 2 Farming machinery Study Period 3 Biosecurity and chemicals AHCWHS301 AHCWRK309 AHCAGB301 AHCINF301 AHCMOM302 AHCMOM304 AHCBIO302 AHCCHM303 AHCCHM304 Contribute to work health and safety processes Apply environmentally sustainable work practices Keep production records for a primary production business Implement property improvement, construction and repair Perform machinery maintenance Operate machinery and equipment Identify and report unusual disease or plant pest signs Prepare and apply chemicals Transport and store chemicals Elective stream 1 - Livestock Study Period Code Unit of competency AHCBAC302 Establish pastures and crops for livestock production Study Period 4 Feeding livestock AHCLSK311 Implement feeding plans for livestock AHCLSK313 Monitor livestock production growing environments Study Period 5 Handling livestock Elective stream 2 - Crops AHCLSK308 AHCLSK320 AHCLSK331 Identify and draft livestock Coordinate and monitor livestock transport Comply with industry animal welfare requirements Study Period Code Unit of competency Study Period 6 AHCPCM302 Provide information on plants and their culture Understanding plants AHCPCM303 Identify plant specimens Study Period 7 Establishing and maintaining crops Study Period 8 Irrigation AHCBAC306 AHCBAC307 AHCIRG332 AHCIRG306 Elective stream 3 - Mixed livestock and crops Establish agricultural crops Maintain agricultural crops Operate pressurised irrigation systems Troubleshoot irrigation systems Study Period Code Unit of competency AHCLSK331 Comply with industry animal welfare requirements Study Period 9 Working with livestock AHCBAC302 Establish pastures and crops for livestock production AHCLSK311 Implement feeding plans for livestock Study Period 10 Working with crops AHCPCM303 AHCBAC306 AHCIRG306 Identify plant specimens Establish agricultural crops Troubleshoot irrigation systems For full course competency details visit www.training.gov.au Note: Courses offered by Open Colleges on behalf of North Coast TAFE may include Units of Competency that are graded by TAFE NSW. Students studying through Open Colleges are not subject to TAFE NSW grading criteria.

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