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  • From: "Darren J. Doherty" <darren@permaculture.biz>
  • To: <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] FW: [permaculture-oceania] Nationally Accredited Permaculture Training (APT)
  • Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 11:26:43 +1000

 

Hello People,

 

Be careful what you wish for! Great news here in oz....

 

Cheers

 

Darren Doherty

http://www.permaculture.biz

>

>

>

 

FIRST MEDIA RELEASE!

 

Major Milestone for Permaculture ­

Nationally Accredited Permaculture Training (APT)

 

Nimbin, NSW, 9 July 03

 

 

After years of discussion and debate, Permaculture International Limited

(PIL) is happy to announce that the five national qualifications in

permaculture will soon be available.  Known as ³APT², these qualifications

are the first and only nationally accredited permaculture courses in

Australia.

 

There will be five qualifications on offer under APT ­ Certificate 1, 2, 3,

4 and Diploma.  Certificate 1 is suitable for beginners, from school age

upwards.   The Diploma is for experienced practitioners.  People who have

completed a Permaculture Design Course, (PDC) will receive significant

credits towards the new qualifications.

 

APT has been designed to recognise and build on current training in

permaculture, including the PDC.  Now that accreditation has been achieved,

we are anticipating input from permaculture practitioners into the detailed

content of the accredited courses.  APT will be reviewed every 12 months,

and undergo extension as our collective body of knowledge and experience

increases.

 

APT provides a new opportunity to attract public funding and subsidy,

through programs such as Farmbis, NHT, Landcare, labour market programs, VET

in schools, CDEP, Work for the Dole etc.

 

Qualifications can be achieved in two ways ­ by recognition of prior

learning (RPL) for experienced permaculturists; or through study at venues

approved to deliver APT.  (note: while these venues may include TAFE and

other training institutions, APT is owned by PIL on behalf of the

permaculture community.)

 

PIL is negotiating a partnership with a Registered Training Organisation

(RTO) to enable training and recognition (RPL) services to be available

throughout Australia.  This arrangement will create opportunities for

existing permaculture trainers and training venues to offer APT.

 

***  PIL will shortly release details on how existing trainers can be

involved in APT, how experienced permaculturists can achieve recognition for

their knowledge and skills, and how access to APT can be achieved.

 

*** A series of regional and capital city Course Orientation Workshops is

being planned and details will be announced by email and in PIL¹s magazine

³The Planet².

 

For more information, contact PIL or one of the reference group members ­

see Œbackground¹ below.

 

²With the development of this new range of accredited qualifications, the

richness and choice of colours in the education palette has vastly improved.

Permaculture education has just come of age.²  Virginia Solomon

 

³The enormity of this undertaking was daunting in the early stage.  With

true permaculture co-operation and synchronicity, the pieces began to fall

into place.  I think what kept us going was the knowledge that this would be

a course that was designed and written by permaculturists, constantly

updated by the permaculture community, that would lead to increased

credibility for our thinking and practices in this new century.²   Janet

Millington

 

³Another win-win situation for people doing permaculture ­ you can now get

recognised training while doing something positive for the environment.²

Ian Lillington

 

³This new permaculture training is breaking exciting new ground, not only

for the permaculture community but for mainstream vocational training and

environmental education.  It¹s been an intense yet wonderful process of

cooperation strengthening our networks and building bridges within

permaculture.  APT will equip permaculture with an excellent educational

framework for edging deeper into the mainstream while remaining firmly

grounded in grassroots action and the Earthcare ethics.²  Robyn Francis

 

³Accredited Permaculture Training will foster widespread community

acceptance and recognition of permaculture. It will also provide greater

access and uptake of permaculture training as it will attract pubic funding

and subsidies targeted at nationally accredited training.² Guy Rischmueller

 

 

**************

 

BACKGROUND

 

A national reference group was established in 2002 and has been developing

the new permaculture units.  Units are the Œskeleton¹ of a training program,

and it is this skeleton or framework that has now been approved.  The group

met in Melbourne in November 2002 and Nimbin in 2003.  The majority of the

development work has been done by email.

 

The reference group comprises:

… Robyn Frances ­ Nimbin, NSW      <erda@nor.com.au

… Ian Lillington ­ Willunga, SA         <kookaburra@internode.on.net>

… Janet Millington ­ Noosa, Qld    <miltech@bigpond.com>

… Virginia Solomon ­ Eltham, Vic     <vsolomon@netspace.com.au>

and has consulted with Terry Leahy in Sydney

 

The reference group engaged a training consultant, Guy Rischmueller, to

guide the project through the approval process.   During the next six

months, PIL will form a partnership with a Registered Training Organisation.

This RTO will manage quality assurance and issue qualifications to those

completing training.

 

**********

 

While PIL is committed to ensuring existing venues and permaculture programs

continue, there are some key considerations for delivering APT programs:

 

1.      Anyone currently teaching permaculture courses at any level will

have the opportunity to teach the new, accredited format.  To deliver

accredited training in Permaculture, a trainer will have to complete a

Course Orientation Workshop, and will need Certificate IV in Assessment and

Workplace Training, (BSZ98).  They will also have to provide a curriculum

vitae and must be competent to deliver this level of training.

 

[The BSZ course and the permaculture certificates can be achieved by RPL,

which means gathering together evidence of your existing work and presenting

it to an assessor.  Although there will be a charge for this process, it is

expected that there will be a huge increase in demand for permaculture

training, so up front costs will be recouped.]

 

2.    Venues where permaculture is already taught will be able to teach

accredited permaculture courses, providing they meet appropriate OHS and

insurance requirements.

 

3.    There are opportunities to integrate existing training programs and

resources into the new format.   A Œresource bank¹ is being considered as a

system where trainers can lodge their training materials and can borrow

other materials from this bank.

 

By managing the implementation of Accredited Permaculture Training (APT)

nationally, PIL is attempting to optimise benefits and returns to

permaculture practitioners, enterprises and trainers in a variety of ways

that can meet different training needs from school education to professional

development.

 

 

 

Caring for People, Caring for the Earth

 

Anna Kowalczyk

Office Administrator for

_______________________________________________

Permaculture International Ltd.

ABN: 13  196  056  495

PO Box 219  NIMBIN  N.S.W. 2480   Australia.

Ph/Fax  61 [0] 2 66891155

Email: admin@permacultureinternational.org

http://www.permacultureinternational.org

 

PERMAFUND DONATIONS over $2 are tax deductible in Australia. Divert

your taxes towards ethical, environmental and permaculture activities.

Please consider becoming a member of PIL, a not-for-profit company

promoting permaculture philosophy and design principles. Our aim is to

network people, education and information relating to permaculture.

 

Please also visit Permaworld Foundation - www.permaworld.org

their member's financial support to date is over $US 29,300.

 

_______________________________________________

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  • [permaculture] FW: [permaculture-oceania] Nationally Accredited Permaculture Training (APT), Darren J. Doherty, 07/09/2003

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