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.

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

The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy all of the requirements of the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge and the range statement of this unit and include evidence of the following:

knowledge of the requirements, procedures and instructions that are to apply when grading greyhounds for races

implementation of procedures and timely techniques for the safe, effective and accurate application of greyhound grading procedures

working with others to undertake and complete procedures that meet required outcomes.

Evidence should be collected over a period of time in a range of workplace-relevant contexts and include dealings with an appropriate range of situations.

Context of, and specific resources for assessment

Competency must be assessed in a racing workplace that provides access to the required resources. Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints. It is to comply with relevant regulatory requirements or Australian Standards requirements.

Assessment of the practical components of this unit will be by observation of relevant skills.

The following resources must be available:

industry supervised access to racing administration offices and racecourses

materials and equipment relevant to assessing candidate's ability to complete greyhound grading procedures

work instructions and related documentation.

Method of assessment

Assessment methods must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the Racing Training Package.

The suggested strategies for the assessment of this unit are:

written and/or oral assessment of candidate's required knowledge

observed, documented and firsthand testimonial evidence of candidate's application of practical tasks.

Evidence is required to be demonstrated over a period of time, therefore where performance is not directly observed any evidence should be authenticated by supervisors or other appropriate persons.

This unit may be assessed in a holistic way with other units of competency relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role.

Guidance information for assessment

Assessment methods should reflect workplace demands (e.g. literacy and numeracy demands) and the needs of particular target groups (e.g. people with disabilities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, people with a language background other than English, youth and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds).

Required skills

accurate computer skills, including:

data entry

spreadsheet

word processing

applying OHS and environmental work procedures

communicating with stewards, racing officials, licensed and registered personnel and others using assertive communication techniques to:

deal with disgruntled racing participants

gather, interpret and relay information relating to greyhound grading requirements

respond to a formal complaint

respond to trainers or owners disputing the classification used by graders

completing duties in accordance with safe operating procedures and nominated time frame

complying with organisational policies and procedures

consulting concisely and effectively with customers, colleagues and team members

evaluating advantages or disadvantages of a variety of potential solutions to resolve problems

interpreting racing jargon, including classes and distances of greyhound races

making effective decisions based on grading policies, current performance and industry guidelines

operating a range of office equipment and technology

reading and interpreting race reports, form guides and other records of race performance

reading and interpreting workplace documentation, including rules of racing and grading policies

relating to people from a range of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and with varying physical and mental abilities

using race replay equipment, including video, DVD and other sources to assess individual greyhound performance during various stages of the race

written communication skills to complete workplace documentation and reports.

Required knowledge

communication procedures, including reporting lines within the workplace and wider racing industry

ethical conduct standards of relevant racing principal authority

factors that affect greyhound performance

grades, classifications and distances of greyhound races

hazards and potential hazards in the workplace and risk control procedures

industry terminology related to greyhound grading and wider racing industry

OHS and environmental legislative requirements

organisational policies and procedures

principles of effective communication, including dealing with conflict and grievance resolution

procedures for operation and maintenance of office equipment and technology

relevant rules of racing

reporting requirements for irregularities and problems.

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.

Greyhound performance may be analysed by:

reading race reports and results

viewing races or trials live and via replay.

Race result reports may include:

box draw and number of runners

identification of greyhounds that did not complete the race

race class

race distance

race incidents that affected the results

race location

race record time

race times of individual runners in race sections.

Race class structure may affect race results:

due to class structures being set to match greyhounds that have won the same types of races and/or similar amounts of prize money

if greyhounds of all levels were raced against each other, greyhounds of higher class would have an advantage over the rest of the field.

Experience and/or age of runner may affect performance due to:

experienced greyhounds are more likely to settle into their race, which will also reduce wasting energy early

greyhounds generally need some race experience before they perform consistently

older greyhounds can suffer more wear and tear from racing, which can prevent them from racing according to previous form

young greyhounds need time to gain strength and stamina.

Box draw considerations may include:

boxes are numbered in the same way on every racetrack in Australia

greyhound races are started from a row of individual cages (boxes) for each greyhound

there are perceived advantages to runners starting from certain boxes so a random pick takes place to allocate boxes to greyhounds; this is known as the box draw.

Integrity and ethical principles are required for:

graders to demonstrate that they have applied the grading policy consistently to all greyhounds

graders not making decisions based on factors other than the grading policy, such as:

applying a selection criterion other than the grading policy

friendships or disputes with owners or trainers

subjective rather than objective evaluation of performance

graders conducting their work and private life in such a way as to avoid attempts of bribery or blackmail, or threats of harm

owners, trainers and the betting public to have confidence in the grading system.

Confidentiality of decisions is important due to:

certain information is private and should not be disclosed to others who may deliberately or inadvertently cause embarrassment or financial loss to others

information given to certain people before others are advised can give some people an unfair advantage

information that is not protected may be distributed out of sequence or with omissions or unauthorised additions that can distort the facts or misrepresent a person's intention or reputation.