Project 8. Optimising RTO Training and Assessment Methods for Harvesting Operators

Overview
Engagement & Development
Pilot Delivery (In progress)

Project Description

This project designs and pilots a new model to improve how harvesting operators are trained and assessed.

The model aims to create a more efficient, flexible, and scalable approach that minimises downtime and supports workforce capability.

It responds to key industry challenges, including limited access to qualified assessors, high training costs, and the need for practical, in-field learning, particularly in remote locations.

Timeline

February 2025 – June 2027

Lead Organisation

Led by the Australian Forest Contractor Association (Feb 2025-Jan 2026) and ForestWorks (Feb 2026-Jun 2027), with delivery support by TAFE Gippsland, Timber Training Creswick and TAFE NSW.

Contact

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

Making Skill Assessment Easier for Employers: A New Remote Assessment Model

The Australian Forest Contractors Association (AFCA) is leading the development of a remote, workplace-integrated assessment model that better reflects current industry needs. Through stakeholder forums, consultations, and a national survey involving more than 30 industry representatives, the project identified key barriers impacting the delivery and quality of training and assessment across the sector.

Building on this feedback, the project team refined its recommendations and designed a pilot model focused on practical application, industry alignment, and scalable implementation.

Why It Matters

The harvesting sector faces persistent challenges in training and assessment, including:

Limited availability of qualified trainers and assessors
High training costs and low funding support
Difficulty accessing training in remote areas
Low confidence in RTOs’ ability to deliver fit-for-purpose training

These challenges affect the workforce’s ability to build, demonstrate, and maintain capability, safety, and productivity. Through innovative approaches, particularly a remote assessment model, this project helps overcome these barriers.

Consultations

Extensive stakeholder engagement informed the project’s direction. Input was gathered through:

An Industry Advisory Group
Online and in-person forums
A national survey of forest services businesses

Key themes from consultations included a strong preference for in-field, hands-on training, the emergence of informal mentoring practices in training delivery, and the need for better alignment between training and/or assessment delivery and operational realities. Stakeholders also highlighted the importance of addressing training within broader workforce attraction and retention strategies.

The Model to Be Piloted

The project will pilot a Remote Assessment Model using digital tools and video technology to conduct real-time competency assessments without requiring assessors to be physically present on-site. Key features include:

Workplace-based trainers act as the assessor’s “eyes” using mobile devices
Live assessments allow for observation, questioning, and evidence collection
Recordings support complementary evidence of competency and compliance with National Standards
Measures are in place to manage connectivity, weather, and other challenges.

Benefits of the model:

Reduces travel time and costs for assessors
Increases scheduling flexibility
Lowers business costs
Ensures quality assurance and compliance

Proof-of-concept remote assessment trials will run from August to December 2025, with a broader rollout planned for 2026 if successful.

Further Actions Underway

Coordinate and schedule proof-of-concept remote assessment trials to test the technology, engagement processes, and evidence collection methods before the full pilot rollout.
Develop a comprehensive risk management plan that identifies and addresses potential risks such as connectivity failures, technology limitations, evidence capture errors, privacy concerns, and stakeholder disengagement. Include clear mitigation strategies and response procedures.
Develop a Remote Assessment Guide describing practical, safe, and auditable processes for conducting competency assessment remotely in forestry settings using live video and structured digital evidence capture.
Design a stakeholder engagement plan to involve forest services businesses, RTOs, assessors, and other key stakeholders, ensuring broad industry support and participation in the pilot program.

Project 8 is piloting a remote, workplace-integrated assessment model to improve access to qualified assessors, reduce travel costs and minimise operational disruption for forestry businesses in regional and remote locations.

Initial consultations, model design, and preliminary trials informed the development of a draft Remote Assessment Guide, which covers assessment roles, evidence requirements, enabling technologies, quality assurance and risk management.

The pilot advanced from initial feasibility testing in late 2025 and early 2026 to larger-scale remote, workplace-integrated assessments. For instance, a successful trial in April 2026 involved two skidder operators at Sunchip in south-east Queensland, both of whom achieved statements of attainment. Subsequently, Timber Training Creswick conducted an expanded trial at Sunchip on 14 August 2026. Leveraging satellite connectivity, mobile phones, cameras, and drone footage, a remote assessor based in Tasmania evaluated six operators across two machinery types within five and a half hours. All six operators were assessed as competent in the units attempted.

The expanded trial demonstrated that multiple operators can be assessed remotely within a single working day when technology, onsite support, and assessment processes are effectively coordinated. The trial also identified practical improvements, such as the need for dedicated in-cab devices, backup power sources, noise-suppressing audio equipment, direct communication between the assessor and site supervisor, and a clear stop-work protocol in the event of connectivity loss.

Further testing will evaluate the model with additional candidates and different workplace settings. The resulting findings will inform updates to the Remote Assessment Guide and support final recommendations concerning compliance, scalability, and broader industry implementation.

Making Skill Assessment Easier for Employers: A New Remote Assessment Model

Proof-of-concept remote assessment trials will run from August to December 2025, with a broader rollout planned for 2026 if successful.

ForestEdu is a central platform for accessing industry-specific training resources, strengthening professional networks, and addressing workforce capability needs across the forest, wood, and paper sectors. The platform was developed for learners, employers, and training providers as part of the Forestry Workforce Training Program, which is funded by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.