Accredited Permaculture Training

Then, now and into the future…

Virginia Solomon18 June 2016

Transition to the AHC TP**Agriculture, Horticulture & Conservation and Land Management Training

Package

• Lodged in October 2015• Endorsed in March 2016• ….nearly on training.gov.au

website

Lets’s celebrate a momentous achievement!!• 5 qualifications and a skill set• 66 unique permaculture (AHCPER)

units of competency• This equates to 8% of the entire 800

unit training package (the biggest training package in the whole National Training System)

• No other volunteer-run association has EVER achieved anything like this

• Our qualifications and our units are first class

A Brief History

Conception of the idea

• Bioregional gatherings 2000-2002• Alternative element for education

Function• Reach wider audience• Access government funding

• Downsides included beaurocratic red tape and the language of the training system

• Cost and time to set up and maintain

• Perception of getting into bed with the enemy

Having Naomi’s 5th baby

• Robyn Francis persisted with the idea • I joined the working group in place of

Naomi Coleman• The NIRG – National Industry Reference

Group• Drawn from 4 of the 6 States of

Australia• Robyn Francis, myself, Ian Lillington,

Janet Millington and Guy Rischmueller(consultant)

Development

• Initial meeting in Victoria November 2002• Worked by email using Word Track Changes for 18

months• Developed 54 units in 5 qualifications • Queensland’s training regulator approached to register

courses• July 2003 meeting in Nimbin NSW• RPL process for the new ‘grandparents’

Accredited Permaculture Training(APT for short)

was born 9th July 2003• Certificate I in Permaculture – for lower secondary and labour market

programs• Certificate II in Permaculture – for upper secondary, WWOOFERs, farm

workers• Certificate III in Permaculture – trade level• Certificate IV in Permaculture – for designers and permaculture

teachers• Diploma of Permaculture – for enterprise and community strategic

designs and large or complex project work

Teacher Training• Development of the COW – Course Orientation Workshop• And the CALF – Creative Adult Learning Facilitation (Workshop)• Robin Clayfield and Janet Millington• Naomi Coleman and myself• Delivering the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAA04)• Based on Robin Clayfield’s Dynamic Groups Facilitation work

Permaculturing the Mainstream

• Creative, interactive processes• Integrated and holistic training design

The Eltham College 500• 3 years of pilot programs• Year 9 level (15 year olds)• 500 plus graduates• Proved suitability of Certificates I and II for Secondary Schools

Attempting to get APT into schools

• Duty of Care barriers• PD demands on teachers• Resource Smart AussiVic schools

program• New Skill Set

2010 – the 5 year review

• CDAC – Course Development Advisory Group• Claire Coleman, myself, Beck Lowe, Rebecca

Chettleborough, Rob Fenton, Robyn Francis, Geoff Vivian, Sue Brunskill

Courses offered at all levels and all over Australia

• Many providers (were) offering APT training

• 2 main RTOs (Registered Training Organisations):

• Riverina TAFE NSW• Eltham College

Meaningful Skills

Graduates

• Now in paid employmento Sustainable food

producationo Community developmento Training and teachingo Alternative energyo Sustainable buildingo Local government

Another review - 2015

• Cost to PA would have been $8000 per qualification ($40,000 just for registration) plus the work done to upgrade the courses to the new templates and requirements

• Approach to Agrifood Skills Australia• Process took much longer than it should have

TRG – Technical Reference Group

• Drew Barr• Sue Brunskill• Robyn Francis• Pam Guerner-Hall• Beck Lowe• Taj Scicluna• Virginia Solomon & Guy Rischmueller (for

Webmosis)• Representative from Agrifood Skills Australia

Was it worth it?

Yes! ABSOLUTELY!

As I said in the first slide… what a momentous achievement – but we MUST maintain the

momentum and put work in NOW!

Who are we?

Permaculture Australia is the National Peak Body

of the Permaculture Industry

We need to galvanise ourselves into action at this critical time or risk loosing the momentum

The world has changed

• New Skills Service Organisation – Skills Impact

• Industry Reference Committees now forming – we need a seat at the table

• New ASQA (Australian Skills Quality Authority) requirements for Assessment

• More RTOs needed• More trainers needed

What do we need to do?

• Marketing and promotion – to new RTOs, to members of our own industry and to others – we need to go on permaculturing the mainstream

• Development of traineeships in permaculture –identifying job potential and pathways, putting the business case and getting the funding

• Development of new and existing learning and assessment resources – supporting the work already done, developing what is needed and marketing it all

• Getting APT into schools now that the new Skill Set is endorsed

• Pathways to higher education

Once again…Lets’s celebrate a momentous achievement!!

• 5 qualifications and a skill set• 66 unique permaculture (AHCPER)

units of competency• This equates to 8% of the entire 800

unit training package (the biggest training package in the whole National Training System)

• No other volunteer-run association has EVER achieved anything like this

• Our qualifications and our units are first class

Contact details

APT Working Group of Permaculture AustraliaContact: Virginia Solomonvsolomon@netspace.net.au0438 437 919