Assessment Tasks

Submission details

The assessment task is due on the date specified by your assessor. Any variations to this arrangement must be approved in writing by your assessor.

Submit this document with any required evidence attached. See specifications below for details.

Performance objective

The candidate will demonstrate the ability to develop policy for sustainable development project.

Specifications

You must:

· complete both Part A and Part B of this assessment task

· submit the task as instructed in the specification

· submit your notes if there is any

Your assessor will be looking for the knowledge of:

environmental or sustainability legislation, regulations and codes of practice applicable to the organisation

internal and external sources of information and how they can be used to plan and develop the organisation’s sustainability policy

policy development processes and practices

organisational systems and procedures that relate to sustainability

typical barriers to implementing policies and procedures in an organisation and possible strategies to address them.

Assessment description

Increasingly more businesses and organisations are implementing sustainability policies to encourage sustainability principles and practices within the workplace

You are to develop a sustainability policy for implementation in an organisation of your choice.

Organisations may include:

· Your own workplace

· Local councils

· Businesses

· Not-for-profit organisations

· Government department or agency

· Local community groups

· Sporting clubs.

The purpose of the sustainability policy is to develop strategies for:

· Minimising resource use

· Reducing toxic material and hazardous chemical use

· Employing life cycle management approaches

· Promoting sustainability principles

· Raising awareness among stakeholders

· Training staff in sustainability principles and techniques

Part A: Planning sustainability policy

Before you write the sustainability policy you need to access information on sustainability practices and the processes and techniques of writing policy. You also need to discuss possible approaches to policy development and implementation with key stakeholders.

1. Gather information from a range of sources to help you plan and develop the policy. Sources may include:

· Industry guidelines

· Industry best practice

· Relevant personnel

· Organisational specifications

· Legislative requirements

2. You will need to research different methods and techniques for writing policy. All types of organisations have policies to guide the way work is done in the organisation. Consequently, policy documents can be written and presented in many ways. Some of the issues you will need to consider are:

· How you will structure the document most effectively?

· What writing style will you use?

· Will you include the organisation’s general principles and philosophies?

· How will you organise general policies and specific procedures?

· Who needs to authorise the policy document?

3. Identify and consult with stakeholders as a key component of the policy development process. Stakeholders may include:

· Customers

· Staff

· Investors

· Local community

· Regulators

· Technical specialists

You should use a variety of methods to involve stakeholders in the policy development. You should be prepared to effectively manage different points of view and dissenting stakeholders. You are expected to contribute to the resolution of disputes among stakeholders.

4. Make recommendations for sustainability policy options to address inefficiencies within the organisation or opportunities for improvements in sustainability practices based on:

· Likely effectiveness

· Time-frames

· Cost

· Existing organisational policies such as equal employment opportunity, OHS and equity and diversity policies

· Principles and practices of sustainability management relevant to the industry

· Industry best practice

· Available tools and techniques of sustainability management

· Continuous improvement in resource efficiency

Specifications

You must submit a report which details your planning process.

You must discuss:

· The organisation you have selected or you are working with

· The research you have conducted and the sources you have used

· The methods and techniques of policy writing you will use

· The needs and interests of each stakeholder group that you have identified

· Sustainability policy options you recommend including a discussion of their advantages and disadvantages for the organisation and for the various stakeholder groups.

· Final recommendations for policy options based on likely effectiveness, time-frames and cost

Adjustment for distance-based learners

· No variation of the task is required.

· Documentation can be submitted electronically or posted in the mail.

Part B: Write sustainability policy

Now that you have understood sustainability and the inefficiencies and opportunities for improved sustainable practices in the organisation, you must develop a workplace sustainability policy.

The written workplace sustainability policy that you submit must:

1. Define the scope of the policy.

This may include:

· Breadth of the policy application – will it be implemented in parts of organisation, the whole organisation or across multiple organisations

· Policy approach – will you select an integrated approach which includes environmental, social and economic aspects, or a specific approach that focuses on aspects individually?

· Adherence to legislation – will you meet the relevant legislation which supports the compliance of your organisation in environmental performance and sustainability?

· Reference the organisation's policy to international and nation environmental standards, guidelines and approaches – will you follow guidelines and approaches such as the Global Reporting Initiative ecological foot print and Greenhouse Challenge Plus.

2. Develop a workplace sustainability policy that reflects the organisation's commitment to sustainability as an integral part of business planning, and as a business opportunity which includes benchmark indicators.

3. Develop an implementation strategy as part of the policy. This may involve developing:

· Relevant systems and procedures to aid in the achievement of workplace sustainability

· Quality assurance systems

· Relevant protocols

· System for continuous improvement in resource efficiency for recording and interpreting data

Specifications

You must submit your work as a formal policy document.

You must work in consultation with the relevant people in your organisation so that the document accurately reflects organisational requirements.

It is important that your policy is precise, well-structured and expressed in a way that keeps in mind your target audience.

Assessment Task 1 – Student self-assessment checklist

This checklist is similar to the one being used by your assessor during this assessment. This checklist should be reviewed by you to evaluate your readiness for assessment, and to confirm your understanding of the criteria by which this assessment task will be judged.

Once you feel you have the required skills and knowledge to demonstrate each of the following assessment criteria, you are ready to be assessed. Please speak with your assessor if you feel you are not ready to be assessed before the assessment has commenced.

You may refer to this checklist at any stage PRIOR to the commencement of your assessment. You may not refer to this checklist whilst you are being assessed.

Assessment Task 1 – Assessor instruction

Policy development project

The assessment may be undertaken in the following format:

Classroom / Simulated environment.

These assessments must

· Simulation is a form of evidence gathering that involves the candidate in completing or dealing with a task, activity or problem in an off-the-job situation that replicates the workplace context. Documented definitions (such as in the TAA Glossary) state "Simulations vary from recreating realistic workplace situations such as in the use of flight simulators, through the creation of role plays based on workplace scenarios to the reconstruction of a business situation on a spreadsheet. In developing simulations, the emphasis is not so much on reproducing the external circumstance but on creating situations in which candidates are able to demonstrate:

· technical skills

· underpinning knowledge

· generic skills such as decision making and problem solving

· workplace practices such as effective communication"

· In conducting training and assessment in a simulated workplace environment, trainers and assessors must make sure that the simulated environment gives the learner the opportunity to meet the following critical criteria:

· Quality – The work is of the standard required for entry into the industry.

· Productivity – The work is performed within a timeframe appropriate for entry to the industry.

· Safety – The work is performed in a manner that meets industry safety standards.

· Each assessment has taken the following aspects into consideration, to ensure any simulations provide for integrated assessment of competence. This includes:

· performing the task (task skills)

· managing a number of tasks (task management skills)

· dealing with workplace irregularities such as unexpected problems, breakdowns and changes in routine (contingency management skills)

· fulfilling the responsibilities and expectations of the job and workplace, including working with others (job/role environment skills)

· transferring competencies to new contexts.

· Assessment activities must be realistic and reasonable in terms of scale. Assessment conducted under simulated conditions should reflect those typically found in the workplace. Where appropriate to the UOC, simulated environment should allow the learner to:

· deal with typical customers, including difficult customers and diverse types of customers

· use facilities, equipment and materials that meet current industry standards

· plan and prioritise multiple tasks to meet deadlines

· experience the typical workflow for the industry

· require adherence to service standards, workplace procedures, health and safety requirements

· work with others as part of a team

· consider constraints and pressures met in the workplace, e.g. budget, time, availability of resources

· If a simulated workplace is used, it must allow for distractions such as background noises, ringing telephones, interruptions, etc. As this is a business unit, a simulated environment may also include an office environment with office equipment and computers. Each student must dress appropriately and professionally in line with workplace standards.

· For each assessment, you are not to interfere. In the event that the assessment activities will impact on the safety of a student or bystander, the assessment must be stopped immediately

Assessment Task 1 – Assessor checklist

This checklist is to be used when assessing the students in this task. This checklist is to be completed for each student. Please refer to separate mapping document for specific details relating to alignment of this task to the unit requirements.

Please complete below

RTO 41297 | CRICOS 03444C

Dec 2017 version: 2.0