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Elements and Performance Criteria

  1. Receive and distribute incoming mail
  2. Collect and despatch outgoing mail
  3. Organise urgent and same day deliveries

Required Skills

Required skills

communication skills to receive instructions of several steps to complete task to give information to others and to consult with or question supervisor and peers to clarify information

literacy skills to keep records to check accuracy of written material and to follow policies and procedures

numeracy skills to check weights and addresses and to sort collate and estimate time for mail despatches and bulk mail outs

problemsolving skills to choose appropriate method for urgent delivery

technology skills to use electronic mail

Required knowledge

Australian geography and postal codes

key provisions of relevant legislation from all forms of government that may affect aspects of business operations such as

antidiscrimination legislation

ethical principles

codes of practice

privacy laws

occupational health and safety OHS

organisational policies and procedures specific to handling electronic mailprocedural requirements for receivingdespatching and prioritising correspondence

range of mail services available

Evidence Required

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria required skills and knowledge range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of the following is essential

working with a variety of incoming and outgoing mail

applying carriers and organisational requirements eg postal and courier

knowledge of relevant legislation

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure

access to an actual workplace or simulated environment

access to office equipment and resources

examples of correspondence and parcels for sorting and despatch

Method of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge The following examples are appropriate for this unit

direct questioning combined with review of portfolios of evidence and third party workplace reports of onthejob performance by the candidate

review of incoming and outgoing mail registers

analysis of responses to case studies and scenarios

demonstration of techniques

oral or written questioning to assess knowledge of procedural requirements for receivingdespatching and prioritising correspondence

Guidance information for assessment

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector workplace and job role is recommended for example

general administration units

other information management units

Range Statement

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Incoming mail may include:

confidential/personal

electronic (e.g. faxes, emails to central address)

external

internal

journals/magazines

letters

paper-based

urgent

other forms of correspondence

Checking mail may include:

enclosures

mail marked confidential, urgent or personal

mail sent express post or registered

mail that has been damaged

mail that looks suspicious

Registering mail may include:

assigning file number

addressee

condition of mail item (e.g. damaged, no return address)

contents e.g. cheque

date received

sender

subject

Distributing urgent and confidential mail may include:

immediate, hand delivery, express post, registered

separating and prioritising urgent mail

Sorting mail may include:

adding a circulation slip

separating by order of importance for each individual

separating internal (organisational) mail and external mail

separating junk mail

separating urgent mail to be distributed first

sorting by departments

sorting by location

sorting by seniority of personnel

sorting invoices, cheques and accounts

Nominated person/location may include:

administrative support person

department

individual addressee

Damaged, suspicious or missing items may include:

mail exposed to weather (e.g. water damage from rain)

mail roughly handled (e.g. broken contents, torn address labels)

mail that looks like it has been interfered with (re-sealed mail)

mail that looks unusual

mail that makes noises

mail that smells strange

pilfered mail (contents may be missing, parcels slit open)

Appropriate action in relation to damaged, missing or suspicious items may include:

immediately calling supervisor or security staff

contacting sender to ensure everything sent was received

filling out forms for sender's insurance company

negotiating replacement of missing or damaged items with sender

not touching or moving suspicious mail

Correctly preparing items for despatch may include:

checking enclosures

checking letter and envelope are addressed to same person

checking the address is not obscured

checking letter has been signed

checking return address is included

checking address details and layout are correct

determining most appropriate carrier

ensuring correct requirements for chosen carrier are being followed

preparing bulk mail outs

Recording outgoing mail may include:

electronic (specialist software, database, spreadsheet systems)

paper-based (mail book, form, file)

Processing mail for despatch may include:

calculating and paying for postage

DX mail

registering mail

Processing in accordance with organisational requirements may include:

addressee/organisation

appropriate carrier (courier, normal mail, express post)

date of despatch

receipts attached where appropriate

reference number

sender

sender's department

Delivery options may include:

courier

express mail

overnight bag

Best option may include:

cost

delivery location

nature of contents (bulky, fragile, confidential)

quantity of delivery items

time constraints