Skills Impact has been consulting with producers and training providers around the country as part of the Artisanal Food & Beverage Project to develop qualifications, skill sets and units of competency for artisan brewing, distilling, cheesemaking and fermenting industries, industry engagement manager Julie Stratford said.

“Our work is national, but we’ve found Tasmania has been the most responsive when we talked about fermented foods,” Ms Stratford said.

Initial draft documents has been published, with face-to-face workshops the next step to gather feedback before a final draft is presented to the federal government for approval before they are formally added to coursework at TAFEs, universities and other training providers.

“We are seeking feedback on whether the draft documents reflect the current skills standards and practices of industry, and whether job functions are accurately described,” Ms Stratford said.

“All these people said there’s a gap, pointing out the number of jobs in the industry and the expansion into exports. We need a proper qualification.”

This draft recommends creating two new qualifications  – Certificate IV in Fermented Food and Beverage with brewing, distilling and fermentation specialisation and Diploma of Artisan Cheese Making; seven new artisan food and beverage production skills sets; and new competency units for artisan cheesemaking, brewing, distilling and fermenting be added, as well cross-sector units addressing common skills across these sectors.

Fermentasmania chief executive Pip Dawson said it was exciting that formal qualifications were coming for such industries.

“We see opportunities in brewing, cider making, cheesemaking and fermented foods to build up formal qualifications. It raises that standard to keep ensuring Tassie products get premium prices and attracts brand recognition,” she said.

“From our [fermentation] industry consultation we identified technical skills as a gap. It would be lovely if people were aware of that as a career path and stayed in Tassie.”

A consultation workshop will be held in Launceston on Tuesday at Launceston Conference Centre, 50 Glen Dhu Street, South Launceston, with a second workshop in Hobart on Wednesday.

Visit skillsimpact.com.au for more information about the project, or register for the Launceston workshop at Eventbrite.

While you’re with us, did you know you can now sign up to receive breaking news updates direct to your inbox? Sign up here.