Required skills

Required skills include

interpreting and explaining sections of legislation codes regulations and Australian standards that apply to the tasks undertaken in developing products and applications

evaluating a productapplication brief and contributing to the development of products and applications to meet the requirements of the brief

interpreting a brief to determine productapplication development requirements

applying theoretical knowledge of starting material and formulation principles to develop productapplications

using appropriate procedures to research alternative formulations

using environment friendly strategies for formulations

making formulation recommendations for pilot batch manufacture

manufacturing pilot batches

evaluating pilot batches against project brief

evaluating productapplication stability

evaluating the OHS requirements to be observed for each ingredient during manufacture of productapplication

evaluating the OHS suitability of each ingredient for use in the formulation

ensuring that productapplication meets regulatory requirements

following enterprise procedures to document development process

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes

theoretical and practical aspects of productapplication development

physical and chemical aspects of productapplication development

principles and practices of operation of a range of pilot batch equipment

uses characteristics and limitations of formulation starting materials

formulation development procedures

performance outcomes expected and key indicators

enterprise and regulatory development quality and stability testing requirements

business goals and the impact of their projects on these goals

operating budgets and plans for work area

relevant health safety and environment requirements

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

Assessors should ensure that candidates can

evaluate a productapplication brief and contribute to the development of products and applications to meet the requirements of the brief

interpret a brief to determine productapplication development requirements

apply theoretical knowledge of starting material and formulation principles to develop productapplications

use appropriate procedures to research alternative formulations

use environment friendly strategies for formulations

make formulation recommendations for pilot batch manufacture

manufacture pilot batches

evaluate pilot batches against project brief

evaluate productapplication stability

evaluate the OHS requirements to be observed for each ingredient during manufacture of productapplication

evaluate the OHS suitability of each ingredient for use in the formulation

ensure that productapplication meets regulatory requirements

follow enterprise procedures to document development process

Context of and specific resources for assessment

This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace environment

This unit of competency may be assessed with

MSLA Troubleshoot equipment andor production processes

MSL977002A Troubleshoot equipment and/or production processes

MSLA Contribute to the validation of test methods

MSL977003A Contribute to the validation of test methods

MSLA Develop or adapt analyses and procedures

MSL977004A Develop or adapt analyses and procedures.

Resources may include

standard laboratory equipped with appropriate pilot batch manufacturing and testing equipment

online data search facilities

starting material and product formulation information

scheduling charts and project plans

appropriate SOPs and enterprise guidelines

Method of assessment

The following assessment methods are suggested

review of development work completed by the candidate

review of development briefs completed by the candidate over time to ensure that they were implemented consistently within the required timeframe

feedback from supervisors andor clients

oral or written questioning to assess development and problem solving approaches

In all cases practical assessment should be supported by questions to assess underpinning knowledge and those aspects of competency which are difficult to assess directly

Where applicable reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity age gender demographics and disability

Access must be provided to appropriate learning andor assessment support when required

The language literacy and numeracy demands of assessment should not be greater than those required to undertake the unit of competency in a work like environment

This competency in practice

Industry representatives have provided the case studies below to illustrate the practical application of this unit of competency and to show its relevance in a workplace setting

Manufacturing

Technical specialists who formulate cosmetics products must apply theoretical and practical knowledge during each stage of the formulation process This is illustrated during the perfuming stage of the product development process for a product range consisting of soap talc and a waterinoil emulsion For example soaps are alkaline and the selected perfume must be stable under alkaline conditions Perfumes consist of a large number of components and any preferential adsorption of some of these components on the surface of the talc will alter the odour When perfuming an emulsion the components of the perfume will partition between the water and oil phases of the emulsion altering the odour reaching the consumer To get the three products smelling the same after manufacture requires attention to these theoretical concepts Stability studies must be planned and carried out to ensure that the products are stable in the chosen packs and smell the same throughout their lifetime When perfuming this rather small range of products the technical specialists must apply a wide range of theoretical and practical knowledge to satisfy the product brief

Food processing

Technical specialists in food research laboratories evaluate product briefs provided by marketing They then develop products to meet the requirements of the brief and convert the brief into a marketable product After the product is successfully introduced technical specialists must continue to upgrade the quality and desirability of products because of shortened product life cycles

As part of their role technical specialists may be required to apply technical knowledge to

reduce ingredient costs of existing formulation

standardise existing formulations and processes for quality and cost control

identify solutions to existing problems such as product quality or shelf life

develop consumer preparation instruction methods

develop labelling or packaging information

formulate new or improve existing products

locate and evaluate new packaging alternatives to meet a range of requirements

assist in compliance with regulatory standards

assess consumer preferences

prepare pilot batches of new products

assist in scale up of pilot batches to full scale production batches

test products shelf life

This requires an indepth knowledge of how to select and use various ingredients for specific applications as well as the chemistry technology and regulatory aspects of their job

Codes of practice

Standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements

Product/application briefs

Materials used to manufacture products/applications

Calculations

Occupational health and safety (OHS) and environmental management requirements