Application
This unit of competency describes the outcomes required to develop and implement plans for community engagement to achieve sustainable environmental, economic and community benefit.
This unit applies to job roles at a senior management level across the full scope of forest and wood products industry workplaces and to operations of all sizes.
No licensing, legislative, regulatory, or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENTS | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the range of conditions. |
1. Scope need for community engagement | 1.1 Develop a community engagement framework to assist in analysing and responding to issues that require community engagement. 1.2 Identify organisational issues requiring community engagement and evaluate benefits of engaging community in consultation processes. 1.3 Define target community groups in line with identified issues and purpose of engagement. 1.4 Evaluate a range of community engagement strategies in line with identified issues and characteristics of target groups. |
2. Develop community engagement plan | 2.1 Establish purpose and objectives of community engagement in consultation with key stakeholders. 2.2 Design community engagement strategies that are relevant, achievable, measurable and flexible to allow for emergence of new ideas and options. 2.3 Identify barriers to community involvement, recognising community diversity, and develop strategies to address them. 2.4 Embed processes for communication, monitoring, reporting, feedback and evaluation in the plan. 2.5 Obtain relevant organisational commitment to and approval of community engagement plan. |
3. Implement community engagement plan | 3.1 Determine resource requirements and implementation timelines. 3.2 Communicate objectives and constraints of engagement to appropriate personnel and allocate resources, roles and responsibilities. 3.3 Identify and manage expectations of participants, provide information throughout engagement process and maintain community engagement. 3.4 Provide opportunities for individuals and communities to develop their capacity to engage with the organisation. 3.5 Implement mechanisms for communities to raise their own issues with the organisation. 3.6 Identify barriers to community engagement and formulate and implement solutions in line with the community context. 3.7 Implement feedback methods in line with plan and respond to maximise community participation. |
4. Evaluate community engagement plan | 4.1 Analyse feedback on quality and effectiveness of engagement strategies from appropriate personnel and community stakeholders. 4.2 Evaluate engagement outcomes against purpose and objectives. 4.3 Document and share outcomes with community stakeholders and key organisational personnel. 4.4 Provide feedback to participants on how the outcomes have informed organisational planning or decision making. 4.5 Prepare recommendations for future programs based on consultation and analysis. |
Evidence of Performance
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must satisfy all of the elements, performance criteria and foundation skills of this unit, and must be able to provide evidence that they can:
Determine and report on:
local community characteristics and demographics
key community perceptions and concerns with organisational practice
organisational issues requiring community engagement
range of benefits of engaging community in consultation processes
organisational opportunities for community engagement
constraints and barriers to community engagement.
Develop a community engagement framework to assist in analysing and responding to community engagement issues
Document two community engagement plans for two different and diverse community groups containing the following information:
purpose, objectives and parameters for the community engagement
resource requirements and roles and responsibilities of organisational personnel
benefits and constraints for both parties
community engagement strategies
mechanisms for the community groups to raise their own issues with the organisation
how the organisation will build the capacity of the community groups to engage with the organisation
mechanisms for community feedback and methods of response.
Implement and evaluate one of the above community engagement plans for the community group or participant sample.
Evidence of Knowledge
A person competent in this unit must be able to demonstrate knowledge of:
Community engagement frameworks, including
core principles and indicators
standards
performance rating measures
types, methods and levels of engagement
communication modes
decision making mechanisms
Key community perceptions and concerns with forest and wood products industry practice.
Common forest and wood products industry issues requiring community engagement and range of benefits of engaging community in consultation processes.
Community engagement theory and principles
Strategies and techniques for community engagement
Relationship and partnership building principles and techniques.
Communication styles appropriate for establishing and fostering transparent relationships or partnerships with individuals and communities.
Leadership principles and expectations management.
Features, benefits and processes for a range of community engagement and consultation strategies.
Organisational opportunities for community involvement.
Constraints and barriers to community engagement.
Processes of individual and group advocacy.
Demographic features of the local community, including:
socio-economic diversity
gender diversity
cultural mix
household structures
education levels
political orientations
religious beliefs
industry and business structures.
Characteristics of local communities and factors affecting community engagement, including:
dynamics of community
community power structures
big politics versus community politics (big 'P' v little 'p')
collaborations
formal and informal community networks, partnerships and lobby groups
strength and views publicised by business community and local media organisations.
Organisational requirements, policies and procedures for:
community engagement
communication and media engagement.
Assessment Conditions
The following resources must be made available:
Computers, keyboards, printers and software used to prepare correspondence with community stakeholders and to prepare organisational plans and reports.
Information on local community.
Current journals, Australian and international case studies on community engagement.
Organisational policies and procedures for community engagement.
Competency is to be assessed in the workplace or a simulated environment that accurately reflects performance in a real workplace setting.
Assessor requirements
Assessors must:
Hold the appropriate assessor competency standards as outlined in regulations; and
be able to demonstrate vocational competencies at least to the level being assessed; and
be able to demonstrate how they are continuing to develop their VET knowledge and skills as well as maintaining their industry currency and assessor competence.
Foundation Skills
This section describes those core and employment skills that are essential to performance and are not explicit in the performance criteria. | |
Learning skills to: | Continually update knowledge of individual and community perceptions and concerns with the organisation’s practices. |
Oral communication skills to: | Interact appropriately with a variety of community groups to explain complex and formal policies. Establish and foster transparent, trusting relationships or partnerships with individuals and communities. Work with diverse communities using a range of communication styles to suit different audiences and purposes. |
Writing skills to: | Develop and document comprehensive plans requiring complex language structures and precision of expression. Prepare community engagement information requiring the presentation of complex information, using simple language structures and precision of expression. Develop comprehensive reports on engagement outcomes including recommendations and rationale for future improvements. |
Planning and organising skills to: | Coordinate community engagement, including relationship building, networking, negotiation and conflict management. Maintain multiple and potentially conflicting relationships. |
Numeracy skills to: | Measure performance against engagement principles and indicators. Analyse feedback on quality and effectiveness of engagement strategies. Identify and interpret local community characteristics and demographics |
Problem-solving skills to: | Mediate, negotiate and attempt to obtain consensus between parties. Use lateral thinking to provide solutions and overcome barriers to community engagement. |
Technology skills to: | Use a computer, keyboard and software to prepare correspondence with community stakeholders and to prepare organisational plans and reports. |
Sectors
Common Technical