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

A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to develop, implement and improve metrics systems that are relevant to social sustainability issues.

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

Assessors must be satisfied that the candidate can competently and consistently apply the skills covered in this unit of competency in new and different situations and contexts. Critical aspects of assessment and evidence include:

establishing processes for quantifying social sustainability to meet organisational goals

consulting with and providing information to stakeholders to facilitate development and implementation of the metrics system

collecting and interpreting quantitative data on social sustainability

applying continuous improvement processes.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

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

Assessment should emphasise a workplace context and procedures found in the candidate’s workplace.

This unit of competency may be assessed with other relevant units addressing sustainability at the enterprise level or other units requiring the exercise of the skills and knowledge covered by this unit.

The competencies covered by this unit would be demonstrated by an individual working alone or as part of a team.

Method of assessment

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.

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.

Required skills

Required skills include:

using proxies/indicators and estimations to represent qualitative data as quantitative data

interpreting data based on proxies/indicators or estimations to identify trends and issues

collating and reviewing data to identify social sustainability implications

analysing reports and other information for social sustainability implications

communicating with diverse stakeholders

presenting information on complex concepts to diverse stakeholders

researching and interpreting legislative and regulatory requirements

selecting and implementing data collection methods

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes:

social sustainability issues, such as:

human rights/exploitation in the supply chain

purchasing/procurement decisions that may affect communities’ employment, food supply, heritage, and access to services in the supply chain

community concerns and perceptions

community engagement

organisational reputation

diversity in the workplace

equity, participation and staff engagement

performance management

bullying, discrimination and harassment

access to skills and development

work conditions

programs that target local recruitment

the impact of environmental issues on people’s health and lifestyle

legislative/regulatory requirements that have social sustainability implications, such as:

Competition and Consumer Act 2010

Commonwealth and state/territory anti-discrimination legislation

Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999

state/territory and local government planning legislation

industrial relations legislation and awards

voluntary codes and standards that have social sustainability implications, such as:

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)

ISO 26000:2010 Guidance on social responsibility

industry codes, principles and covenants

current industry practices, approaches, metrics and indicators that relate to social sustainability, such as social return on investment, social license to operate, corporate social responsibility, human capital and shared value

methods of quantification and quantitative estimating

the limitations of using proxies/indicators and estimations to quantify social sustainability

methods and tools for collecting social sustainability data, such as:

internet or other sources of existing data

surveys

focus groups or interviews

expert panels (real or nominal)

estimating and quantification

continuous improvement logs

complaints registers

methods for tracking opinions, perceptions and other subjective information (qualitative data):

amount of positive/negative media coverage

number and outcomes of community interactions

number and type of complaints and resolutions

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. 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.

Purpose for monitoring social sustainability

Purpose for monitoring social responsibility refers to the organisation’s reason or aim for monitoring social sustainability which might relate to stated or implicit organisational values, strategies or goals. The purpose might be:

supporting core values

enacting the organisation’s social purpose

implementing social sustainability strategy

being a good corporate citizen

supporting policies, such as corporate social responsibility (CSR) or environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG)

improving the organisation’s reputation, handling of complaints and worker retention

supply chain or tender requirements

applying voluntary standards or codes, e.g. GRI reporting and ISO 26000:2010 Guidance on social responsibility

Social sustainability goals

Social sustainability goals relate to the activities and programs being implemented and define what will be quantified and monitored in the metrics system. They may already be stated or may need to be defined in establishing the metrics system.

Benefits and limitations of metrics

Benefits and limitations of metrics may include:

the relevance and accuracy of data collection methods, indicators and estimations used

Resources

Resources may include:

organisational and individual capacity

individual skills

budget

access to people and information

Parameters

Parameters help to define the implementation of the metrics and may include:

frequency of data collection and reports

locations

volume of data to be collected

sampling methods

tools and documentation to be used