Project 13. Training Program for Mid-Career Leaders in the Industry

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Project Description

This project develops and pilots a leadership training program for mid-career professionals in the forestry and wood products industry. The aim is to strengthen leadership capability across the industry.

The training program offers micro-credentials aligned with national qualifications (known as skill sets), enabling participants to build both technical and leadership skills they can apply directly in their workplaces.

These micro-credentials will also contribute toward broader qualification pathways, supporting ongoing professional growth and career progression.

FPO-Training-Course ForestWorks
Timeline

March 2025 – June 2027

Lead Organisation

Led by Timber Queensland and delivered by TAFE Gippsland, TAFE NSW and Timber Training Creswick.

Contact

Diana Saunders
Project Manager | Timber Queensland
diana@timberqueensland.com.au

Kaye Tyter
Workforce Development Manager | ForestWorks
ktyter@forestworks.com.au

Technical Leadership Training for Future Leaders in Forestry and Timber Products

Timber Queensland is leading the development of a new technical leadership training program designed to prepare the next generation of leaders in the forestry and timber products industry. The program offers micro-credentials (skill sets) aligned with national qualifications, equipping emerging leaders with practical skills that meet employers’ real-world needs.

Why It Matters

Businesses in the forestry and timber products industry are facing increasing pressure to:

  • Improve productivity and profitability
  • Meet sustainability and compliance standards
  • Adapt to new technologies in manufacturing and operations.

At the same time, many mid-career professionals, often promoted from technical roles, are stepping into leadership positions without formal training in supervision, planning, or team management.

This project addresses that gap by:

  • Retaining experienced talent through professional development
  • Building leadership capacity to manage change and drive innovation
  • Supporting succession planning and workforce mobility across the sector.

By investing in leadership development, employers can ensure their teams are equipped to lead through complexity and deliver long-term business success.

Stakeholder Perspectives and Key Insights

Timber Queensland brought together a cross-industry working group, including major forestry and timber processing businesses and Registered Training Organisations (RTOs). Insights were gathered across several key themes, directly informing the design of the proposed training model.

Training Must Be Role-Relevant

Employers want training that reflects the specific operational context of their business. For example, businesses promoting leaders from the factory floor need frontline supervision skills, while others seek advanced technical leadership.

Recognition of Skills is Critical

Stakeholders strongly support an industry-wide skills recognition system to:

  • Enable workforce mobility
  • Support succession planning
  • Identify and address skills gaps
  • Allow for stackable micro-credentials.
Practical, Flexible Delivery is Essential

Training must be hands-on, modular, and flexible, allowing learners to complete skill sets individually or as part of a full qualification.

Proposed Training Model – Two Streams of Technical Leadership Training

The proposed training model features stackable micro-credentials and includes two distinct streams, each aligned with national qualifications and designed to meet the needs of different parts of the industry.

A new suite of technical leadership micro-credentials has been developed to build supervisory and management capability across forestry operations. The micro-credentials can be completed individually (for example, at different stages of a participant’s career) or as part of the full Diploma in Forest Operations. Successful completion of all micro-credentials provides the required learning and units to achieve the Diploma in Forest Operations.

These include:

Module 1: Innovation and Engagement Leadership
  • Leading innovation and communication in forestry
  • Engaging stakeholders and supporting team development
Module 2: Continuous Improvement and Sustainability Leadership
  • Implementing forest inventory programs
  • Driving sustainability and continuous improvement
Module 3: Management and Planning Leadership
  • Planning forest establishment and harvesting
  • Managing supply chains and production targets
View Micro-Credential Components

This stream includes existing skill sets tailored to timber processing operations, endorsed by industry for their practical focus and alignment with operational needs. Each skill set can be completed as a standalone module, and successful completion contributes to the Certificate IV in Timber and Wood Products Operations.

These include:

Skill Set 1: Foundational Leadership and Management
  • Log Yard Operations
  • Log Processing
  • Dry Mill Operations
  • Kiln Drying
  • Timber Treatment
  • Engineered Wood Products

Each Foundational Leadership and Management skill set includes a common core of leadership units and one technical unit specific to the operational area.

View Skill Set Components

Note: Click “View…” and once on training.gov.au, search for Leadership

Skill Set 2: Process Control and Optimisation (Sawmills)
View Skill Set Components
Further Actions Underway – Preparing for Pilot Launch in 2026

The project is currently in the final stages of development, with the following activities underway through to December 2025:

  • Collaborate with Skills Insight to endorse the proposed skill sets nationally and update training packages.
  • Developing training materials to support flexible delivery options and pilot implementation.

Employers interested in participating in the pilot or shaping the final training model are encouraged to get involved.

For questions or to express interest in participating, please contact the Project Lead, Diana Saunders, diana@timberqueensland.com.au.

Stackable Micro-Credentials for Forestry and Wood Products Operations

Employers and workers across the forestry and wood products industry are invited to register interest in nationally aligned, flexible micro-credentials designed to build capability and support progression towards a qualification.

This program is funded by the Australian Government under the Forestry Workforce Training Program (FWTP) and is delivered in partnership with TAFE NSW, TAFE Gippsland, and Timber Training Creswick.

Training Focus Areas

This training program supports the development of transferable skills that are valued across forestry, timber and related sectors, helping workers adapt to different tasks, worksites and operational contexts as business needs evolve.

  1. Entry-Level & Operator Pathways: Transferable workplace-readiness skills & tech/digital literacy — For new entrants, entry-level and operator roles, supporting safe and productive performance, mobility across roles, and workplace participation.
  2. Mid-Career Pathways: Transferable technical leadership skills — For mid-career roles and leadership pathways, supporting the development of technical leaders within operations.

How to Participate

  1. Select the modules required for your workforce needs or individual development goals (use the module links provided on this webpage).
  2. Register by 28 February 2026 using the forms below.
  3. Following registrations, we will contact you to confirm course delivery, which will be finalised based on the number of registrations and the range of participant roles and learning needs.

Note: An EOI application does not mean automatic enrolment or confirmed course delivery. 

Funding is limited. Places will be allocated until available funds are exhausted.

Entry-Level & Operator Pathways

Transferable workplace-readiness skills + tech/digital literacy

Employer EOI Registration Form
Individual Participant EOI Registration Form
Mid-Career Pathways

Transferable technical leadership skills

Employer EOI Registration Form
Individual Participant EOI Registration Form

Need support selecting modules?

For guidance on choosing the most suitable micro-credentials (including how modules stack towards qualifications), contact Kaye Tyter at ktyter@forestworks.com.au

Flexible and Modular Learning (stack credits towards a qualification)

Training under this program is modular, enabling micro-credentials to be completed individually (to target specific skill needs) or combined to stack credits towards a full qualification.

The available micro-credentials and the qualifications they contribute to are provided via the links below:

Entry-Level & Operator Pathways

Transferable workplace-readiness skills + tech/digital literacy

View the module menu for forestry operations
View the module menu for wood products operations

These micro-credentials can be used to induct new entrants and to embed transferable skills among existing entry-level workers and operators.

Mid-Career Pathways

Transferable technical leadership skills

View the module menu for forestry operations
View the module menu for wood products operations

These micro-credentials build transferable leadership capability that can be applied across work sites, teams, operational contexts, and job functions.

Training Delivery Method and Timeline

Components of the training will be delivered online through a Learning Management System (LMS), with learning accessed virtually, including via ForestEdu’s Moodle platform.

The delivery sequence and training schedule for 2026–2027 will be finalised based on registration numbers and the range of participant roles and learning needs.

Note: An EOI application does not mean automatic enrolment or confirmed course delivery. 

What Are Transferable Skills?

Transferable skills are foundational capabilities that apply across different roles, worksites and industry settings. In this program, they are positioned as workplace-readiness skills.

  • Workplace-readiness skills (foundational and transferable): the capabilities that enable effective participation at an appropriate level in any workplace within an organisation, or related sector or industry, with support and supervision, even when a person is not yet competent in a specific role.
  • Job-ready skills (role-specific): the role-specific and task-specific capabilities required to perform a particular job (or job family) to an expected industry standard or workplace competency requirements.

Common transferable workplace readiness skills include:

  • Communication and teamwork
  • Workplace health and safety
  • Environmental responsibility
  • Problem solving (including quality)
  • Digital literacy
  • Practical reading, writing and numeracy

The program also recognises additional expectations that support effective workplace participation:

  • Understanding the industry, workplace governance and codes of conduct
  • Respect for culture and diversity
  • Leadership at an appropriate level (embedded within communication and collaboration expectations, as well as quality, continuous improvement)

Appropriate training can be used to support:

  • Induction for new entrants, providing a consistent foundation for safe and effective workplace participation
  • Capability uplift for existing entry-level workers and operators, embedding transferable skills that support performance and adaptability as tasks, equipment and workplace expectations change.
  • Mid-career leadership development, as capability grows, building transferable skills that support stronger collaboration, decision-making, quality and continuous improvement, progressing from guiding others on the day-to-day job to leading safer, more productive and more inclusive workplaces.

Project 13 is piloting stackable micro-credentials to strengthen the technical and leadership capability of mid-career professionals in forestry operations and timber processing.

These modules contribute to the Diploma of Forest Operations and Certificate IV in Timber and Wood Products Operations, offering participants nationally recognised pathways for professional development and career progression.

Industry consultation, program design, development of training and assessment resources, and a national expression-of-interest campaign are complete.

The expression-of-interest campaign identified 142 prospective learners across five states, including 37 registrations for forestry operations and 106 for timber processing.

As of September 2026, 8 participants were enrolled in the forest operations stream, while 41 enrolments were either confirmed or pending in the timber operations stream.

Timber Training Creswick delivers both streams primarily through online, self-paced modules, supplemented by weekly trainer support and regional three-day intensive workshops.

Individual training plans, recognition of prior learning, and credit-transfer assessments are being completed prior to commencement.

Training delivery commenced in mid-September 2026, with additional modules expected from February 2027.

Trainer upskilling is in progress for units that require advanced and competitive manufacturing capabilities, supporting module delivery in 2027. Equipment procurement is also well advanced, with orders and deposits finalised for scanners, grading technology and optimisation software.

An additional enrolment window has been established to facilitate the formation of further timber-processing cohorts, with delivery commencing in February 2027.

To date, the project has established nationally aligned training pathways, demonstrated industry demand and progressed the delivery capability required for implementation. Lower-than-expected conversion from expressions of interest to enrolments remains a key issue and will inform future program design, employer engagement, and scalability considerations.

Technical Leadership Training for Future Leaders in Forestry and Timber Products

The proposed training model is scheduled to begin trials in early 2026 following further consultations and development. Additional information will be available soon.

Employers interested in participating in the pilot or shaping the final training model are encouraged to get involved.

For questions or to express interest in participating, please contact the Project Lead, Diana Saunders, diana@timberqueensland.com.au.