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

Assessment must be carried out in a manner that recognises the cultural and literacy requirements of the assessee and is appropriate to the work performed. Competence in this unit must be achieved in accordance with food safety standards and regulations.

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

Evidence of ability to:

use personal protective clothing and equipment where required

correctly select and prepare irrigation equipment including performing pre-start checks

set equipment correctly to achieve specified irrigation time, application rate and pressure

start irrigation process correctly

monitor irrigation process control points and equipment, including checking for environmental compliance

take corrective action in response to out-of-specification results or non-compliance

perform routine and emergency shutdowns

record information appropriately.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must occur in a real or simulated workplace where the assessee has access to:

personal protective clothing and equipment as required

work procedures, including advice on company practices, safe work practices, food safety, quality and environmental requirements

instructions, information, specifications and schedules as required

equipment, services and corresponding information as required

products and materials as required

internal and external customers and suppliers as required

cleaning procedures, materials and equipment as required

documentation and recording requirements and procedures.

Method of assessment

This unit should be assessed together with other units of competency relevant to the function or work role.

Guidance information for assessment

To ensure consistency in one's performance, competence should be demonstrated on more than one occasion over a period of time in order to cover a variety of circumstances, cases and responsibilities, and where possible, over a number of assessment activities.

Required skills

Note: The following required skills should be applied as appropriate to the equipment and processes that are used in the particular winery or workplace.

Ability to:

Access workplace information to identify irrigation requirements

Select, fit and use personal protective clothing and/or equipment

Confirm supply of necessary services and materials

Identify, rectify and/or report environmental non-compliance

Liaise with other work areas

Confirm equipment status and condition

Set up and start up the process. This can involve the use of process control systems

Monitor the process and system operation to identify out-of-specification results or non-compliance. This may involve monitoring:

application rates

irrigation times

dripper output

pressure variations

salinity levels and water quality

depth of irrigation

maintenance requirements and procedures

cleaning requirements and procedures

maintenance operator progress or performance

Take corrective action in response to out-of-specification results or non-compliance

Report and/or record corrective action as required

Shut down equipment in response to an emergency situation

Shut down equipment in response to routine shutdown requirements

Maintain work area to meet housekeeping standards

Use appropriate cleaning techniques

Implement routine maintenance and minor repairs of the system

Implement routine system cleaning requirements

Supervise others according to enterprise procedures

Apply information technology systems according to enterprise procedures

Apply sampling techniques according to enterprise procedures

Conduct routine tests according to enterprise procedures

Use oral communication skills/language to fulfil the job role as specified by the organisation, including questioning, active listening, asking for clarification and seeking advice from supervisor

Work cooperatively within a culturally diverse workforce

Required knowledge

Note: The following required knowledge should be applied as appropriate to the equipment and processes that are used in the particular winery or workplace.

Knowledge of:

Principles, purpose and benefits of different irrigation techniques and schedules and their affect on vine growth and grape and/or wine quality. This should include partial rootzone drying (PRD)

Soil characteristics as they apply to vine irrigation. These may include:

structure

compaction

condition

texture

moisture

Basic vine physiology in relation to the irrigation system, which may include:

transpiration

water intake

nutrient uptake

photosynthesis

respiration

translocation

Parts of the root, trunk, shoot and fruit systems of the grape vine, their role in how the vine works and their contribution to fruit quality, including:

buds, nodes and tendrils

cambium, epidermis, phloem and xylem

leaf blade, bract and petiole

bunch, berries and flowers

Vine types, their characteristics and uses, including:

family, genus and species

Vitis vinifera and commercial varieties

native species and hybrids (e.g. labrusca)

rootstocks and scion stock

Industry processes for new variety development

Annual grape vine growth stages, including:

budburst

flowering

veraison

maturity

Key grape varieties and their distinguishing features. This may include factors, such as:

berry and bunch characteristics

frost and disease resistance

flavour and style

Purpose and operation of irrigation system and instrumentation components

Basic operating principles and process control systems where relevant

Services required

Control points and significance and methods of monitoring

Common causes of variation and corrective action required

Process specifications, procedures and operating parameters

OHS hazards and controls

Lock-out and tag-out procedures

Environmental issues and controls

Procedures and responsibility for reporting problems

Cleaning requirements and procedures for the system

Maintenance requirements and procedures for the system

Shutdown sequence

Recording requirements and procedures

Supervision techniques where relevant

Information technology systems where relevant

Sampling techniques and procedures where relevant

Routine testing procedures where relevant

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.

Policies and procedures

Work is carried out in accordance with workplace procedures, licensing requirements and legislative requirements

Workplace information

Workplace information can include:

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

specifications

production schedules

instructions

routine maintenance schedules

work notes

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

manufacturer instructions

verbal directions from manager, supervisor or senior operator

Confirming equipment status

Confirming equipment status involves:

checking that all safety standards and pre-start requirements are met and that equipment is operational

checking the operation and/or calibration of measuring instrumentation

Services

Services may include:

water

power

Monitoring the process

Monitoring the process may involve:

the use of production data, such as performance control charts

Process operation and monitoring functions

Process operation and monitoring functions may be:

manual or involve the use of a process control system

Control points

Control points refer to those key points in a work process that must be monitored and controlled. This includes:

quality and regulatory control points

inspection points

Irrigation systems

Irrigation systems may include:

flood

dripper

microjet

sprinkler

overhead

water winch

Components of irrigation equipment

Components of irrigation equipment may include:

drippers

pipelines

sprinklers

filters

microjets

pumps

furrows

valves

motors

timers

windmills

Maintenance and minor repairs

Maintenance and minor repairs may include:

breakages

leaks

blocks

replacing drippers

making joins

filters and turbo keys

monitoring devices

priming pumps and motors

Information systems

Information systems may be:

screen or print based and may include information technology, such as automatic moisture sensing systems and irrigation scheduling systems