This qualification covers work activities undertaken by workers in meat processing plants who are working in the areas of Quality Assurance or the laboratory.
Job roles
Job role titles covered by this qualification may include:
Quality Assurance officer
meat processing laboratory assistant
game harvester
game depot manager
pre-dressing game inspector
supervisor and leading hand
on-floor trainer.
Packaging Rules
complete all six core units of competency
complete a minimum of two elective units of competency to a minimum value of thirty points.
Up to three units may be substituted with units selected from another Certificate III or IV qualification in this Training Package, or another Training Package or accredited course. The selected units must be relevant to the nominated meat processing job and must not duplicate units already contained in the qualification. Units selected will be worth 2 points.
Qualification structure
Core units | |||||
Maintain personal equipment | 2 | Follow safe work policies and procedures | 4 | ||
Apply hygiene and sanitation practices | 4 | Communicate in the workplace | 4 | ||
Comply with Quality Assurance and HACCP requirements | 4 | Overview the meat industry | 2 | ||
Elective units | |||||
Overview wild game meat industry | 2 | Prepare and despatch meat products | 8 | ||
Operate a game harvesting vehicle | 3 | Perform carcase Meat Hygiene Assessment | 2 | ||
Eviscerate, inspect and tag wild game carcase in the field | 3 | Perform process monitoring for Meat Hygiene Assessment | 2 | ||
Receive and inspect wild game carcases from the field | 3 | Perform boning room Meat Hygiene Assessment | 2 | ||
Receive and inspect wild game carcases at a processing plant | 3 | Perform offal Meat Hygiene Assessment | 2 | ||
Store wild game carcase | 3 | Operate batch cooker | 8 | ||
Use firearms to harvest wild game | 3 | Operate continuous cooker | 7 | ||
Stun animal | 4 | Operate press | 5 | ||
Stick and bleed animal | 4 | Operate wet rendering process | 10 | ||
Assess effective stunning and bleeding | 2 | Monitor boiler operations | 4 | ||
Monitor the effective operations of electrical stimulation | 2 | Operate tallow processing plant | 6 | ||
Rod weasand | 2 | Operate blood processing plant | 6 | ||
Seal weasand | 1 | Produce rendered products hygienically | 6 | ||
Ring bung | 4 | Render edible products | 2 | ||
Seal bung | 2 | Implement a Quality Assurance program for rendering plant | 4 | ||
Split carcase | 4 | Grade beef carcases using Meat Standards Australia standards | 3 | ||
Overview legging operation | 1 | Use standard product descriptions - sheep/goats | 2 | ||
Make first leg opening cuts | 4 | Use standard product descriptions - beef | 2 | ||
Make second leg opening cuts | 3 | Use standard product descriptions - pork | 2 | ||
Perform legging on small stock | 4 | Provide coaching | 3 | ||
Bone neck | 3 | Provide mentoring | 3 | ||
Perform 'Y' cut | 2 | Use standard product descriptions - kangaroos | 2 | ||
Skin head | 4 | Follow and implement an established work plan | 3 | ||
Explain opening cuts | 1 | Perform manual chemical lean testing | 2 | ||
Perform flanking cuts | 6 | Overview of the NLIS for sheep and goats | 2 | ||
Perform brisket cuts | 4 | Overview of the NLIS program utilising RFIDs | 2 | ||
Perform rumping cuts | 4 | Manage NLIS data for livestock in lairage | 2 | ||
Perform rosette cuts | 4 | Manage NLIS data for sheep and goats in lairage | 2 | ||
Perform midline cuts | 4 | Manage NLIS for direct purchase of stock identified with an RFID | 2 | ||
Scald and de-hair carcase | 4 | Manage NLIS for direct purchase of sheep or goats | 2 | ||
Operate pelt puller | 4 | Manage NLIS data for saleyard purchase of livestock | 2 | ||
Operate hide puller | 6 | Manage NLIS data for saleyard purchase of sheep or goats | 2 | ||
Remove pelt manually | 6 | Manage, report and upload NLIS slaughter data from RFIDs | 4 | ||
Bed dress carcase | 16 | Manage, report and upload mob based NLIS data for sheep and goats | 2 | ||
Eviscerate animal carcase | 8 | Conduct start up procedures and pre-operational checks on slaughter floor NLIS data equipment | 2 | ||
Operate brisket cutter/saw | 4 | Manage NLIS data from RFIDs on the slaughter floor | 4 | ||
Eviscerate wild game field shot carcase | 4 | Prepare a kill sheet | 2 | ||
Backdown pig carcase | 2 | Undertake pre-slaughter checks of NVDs and PICs for NLIS for sheep and goats | 2 | ||
Prepare head for inspection | 4 | Undertake pre-slaughter checks of NVDs, PICs and RFIDs | 2 | ||
Operate air knife | 2 | Oversee plant compliance with the Australian Standards for meat processing | 3 | ||
Drop sock and pull shoulder pelt | 3 | Inspect wild game meat | 3 | ||
Undertake retain rail | 2 | Inspect poultry | 3 | ||
Prepare and present viscera for inspection | 2 | Inspect ratites | 3 | ||
Bone small stock carcase - leg | 10 | Assess product in chillers | 8 | ||
Slice and trim leg - small stock | 10 | Conduct an internal audit of a documented program | 3 | ||
Bone large stock carcase - forequarter | 15 | Contribute to team effectiveness | 3 | ||
Bone large stock carcase - hindquarter | 15 | Perform standard calibrations | 2 | ||
Slice and trim large stock - forequarter | 15 | Record and present data | 2 | ||
Slice and trim large stock - hindquarter | 15 | Maintain the laboratory/field workplace fit for purpose | 3 | ||
Break carcase using a bandsaw | 15 | Handle and transport samples or equipment | 3 | ||
Operate leg-boning machine | 10 | Obtain representative samples in accordance with sampling plan | 3 | ||
Operate trunk boning machine | 10 | Perform basic tests | 3 | ||
Bone small stock carcase - shoulder | 10 | Prepare working solutions | 3 | ||
Bone small stock carcase - middle | 10 | Prepare culture media | 3 | ||
Slice small stock carcase - shoulder | 10 | Perform aseptic techniques | 3 | ||
Slice small stock carcase middle | 10 | Provide work skill instruction | 3 | ||
Bone carcase using mechanical aids (large stock) | 15 | ||||
Pathways into the qualification
Pathways into the qualification may be:
after completion of a Certificate I or II Meat Processing qualification
through Recognition of Prior Learning
by direct entry without prior industry skills or knowledge.
This qualification is suited to Australian Apprenticeship pathways.
Pathways from the qualification
After achieving this qualification, candidates may undertake:
any other Certificate III in Meat Processing qualification with credit for applicable units successfully completed
MSL30109 Certificate III in Laboratory Skills
approved Skill Sets to gain expertise in specific skilled job roles, for example, the Meat Industry Microbiological Skill Set
MTM40111 Certificate IV in Meat Processing (Leadership)
MTM40311 Certificate IV in Meat Processing (Quality Assurance)
MTM40411 Certificate IV in Meat Processing (General).
Not Applicable
Licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification considerations
Units of competency in this qualification do not require a licence or certification.
QUALIFICATION SUMMARY | |
The following table contains a summary of the Employability Skills required by the meat industry Due to the high proportion of electives required by this qualification, the industry/enterprise requirements described for each Employability Skill are representative of the meat industry in general and may not reflect specific job roles. Learning and assessment strategies for this qualification should be based on the requirements of the units of competency for this qualification. | |
Employability Skill | Industry/enterprise requirements for this qualification include: |
Communication | listening and carrying out instructions speaking clearly and directly with other personnel reading and interpreting workplace documentation, such as work instructions, Standard Operating Procedures and workplace memorandums interpreting customer needs, for example, product specifications using mathematical skills, such as time, weights and temperature sharing information with other workers, especially during changeover processes |
Teamwork | working effectively as an individual as well as in a work team working effectively with workers from another country applying own knowledge to assist other members of the work team |
Problem solving | developing practical solutions to workplace problems, such as OH&S issues solving problems, either individually or in teams, for example, reporting malfunctioning equipment, to ensure that the problem is appropriately addressed using numeracy skills to solve problems, for example, adjusting temperatures |
Initiative and enterprise | adapting to new situations, such as change of species or introduction of new equipment identifying opportunities that might not be obvious to others, for example, making changes to allocation of work tasks to speed up production |
Planning and organising | collecting, analysing and organising information, such as work instructions or Standard Operating Procedures using basic business systems for planning and organising, for example, production schedules and customer specifications managing time and priorities, such as work times and production schedules |
Self-management | monitoring and evaluating own performance to ensure team and production requirements are met efficiently taking responsibility for own work output |
Learning | learning in a range of settings, such as through formal training or informally from other workers learning new skills and techniques to adjust to production or equipment changes |
Technology | using technology, such as workplace machinery demonstrating skilled use of workplace technology, such as knives applying OH&S requirements when using technology |
