Defence Public Affairs Qualifications Review

This project aims to review and enhance Defence Public Affairs qualifications to equip personnel with the skills necessary for effective engagement with the media, stakeholders and the public. Considering the critical role of public trust in the Defence sector, this initiative underscores the importance of transparency, reputation management and strategic communication.

Through benchmarking, collaboration with industry experts and establishment of a Technical Committee, the initiative will update Defence Public Affairs qualifications to ensure continued alignment with industry best practices and evolving requirements within Defence.

Technical Committee

Engagement with the Defence sector is currently taking place. In accordance with the Training Package Products Development and Endorsement Process Policy, a Technical Committee has been stood up to provide advice on amendments to the Defence Public Affairs Qualifications.

The Terms of Reference for the Technical Committee can be found below:

[Defence Public Affairs – Technical Committee TOR](Defence Public Affairs - Technical Committee ToR)

Consultation Strategy

Public Skills Australia will engage in thorough consultation with stakeholders to ensure that their perspectives, concerns and insights are thoroughly considered in the development process. Details of consultation, including mechanisms and identification of stakeholders, can be found below:

To view the consultation strategy for this project, please click below:

[
Defence Public Affairs – Consultation Strategy
](Defence Public Affairs Qualifications Review - Consultation Strategy)

Training Products in Scope

Throughout this project, a consultation log will be maintained to document the feedback received. Information on consensus gathering will be published following the consultation phase.

Details of this project’s information sessions and workshops will be shared on the Consultation tab when available.

This project will review three qualifications, their core units of competency, elective streams and packaging rules. Through this review, the broader learning pathways and qualification design will be considered, noting the key focus in these qualifications is to support Defence capability.

The review will consider the potential for streamlining training products and enhancing understanding of career progression between these three qualifications.

These qualifications include:

• DEF30417 Certificate III in Defence Public Affairs

• DEF40117 Certificate IV in Defence Public Affairs

• DEF50517 Diploma of Defence Public Affairs.

A comprehensive review of the Defence Public Affairs qualification stream has been undertaken in collaboration with a project Technical Committee, representative of the three services of the Australian Defence Force and the Australian Defence College.

The proposed updates to the qualifications have been designed to address several factors aimed to support the Defence sector and improve the operational value of the qualification stream.

These factors include:

Responding to the emerging Defence sector needs of the qualifications
Increasing the implementation of the qualifications
Designing the qualifications to recognise transferable skills and prior knowledge
Reviewing the career pathways of candidates entering and exiting the qualifications
Considering the Australian Qualification Framework requirements for each qualification level
Summary of proposed updates

Please see below for a high-level summary of proposed changes to be made to the Defence Public Affairs qualifications.

Certificate IV in Defence Public Affairs

The proposed changes to the Certificate IV in Defence Public Affairs include updates to the:

Total number of units of competency required for the qualification reduced from 14 to 11.
Packaging rules have been updated to increase the amount of core units of competency required.
Imported of units of competency updated
Qualification description refined

Diploma of Defence Public Affairs

The proposed changes to the Diploma of Defence Public Affairs include updates to the:

Total number of units required for the qualification increased from 11 to 13
Packaging rules have been updated to increase the amount of core units of competency required.
Imported of units of competency updated
Qualification description refined
Minor editorial updates to Defence Public Affairs Units of Competency

The following units of competency have had minor editorial changes to ensure consistency in grammar and language across their contents.

DEFDPA001 Promote the organisation’s mission and values
DEFDPA002 Identify material suitable for media publication
DEFDPA003 Conduct market profiling
DEFDPA004 Manage media requirements at major events
- DEFDPA005 Develop and implement media plans
DEFDPA006 Develop and implement a public affairs strategic plan
DEFDPA007 Develop and implement effective communication strategies
DEFDPA008 Manage public affairs projects
DEFDPA009 Apply knowledge of public affairs in a service environment

We want your feedback

Consultation on the proposed changes will be open from 1 October to 29 October 2024. During this timeframe, Public Skills Australia will conduct virtual workshops for public consultation with stakeholders on the proposed draft training products.

Public Skills Australia invites you to these consultations so you can share your feedback.

Workshops Schedule:

Session 1: 23 October 2024, 11:00am – 12:00pm AEDT
Session 2: 30 October 2024, 11:00am – 12:00pm AEDT

Documents
Please use the form below to specify the qualification(s) or unit(s) of competency you wish to review and to register for the workshops.

Click [here](https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=0kV-uiZxa0Kt3xs9pY_Vpj4frnF_SPtMtlsjZwSpVQRUMldOTDQyNVRNUU1NTUxRSElUS0dYM0tSWiQlQCN0PWcu&route=shorturl) to register for any of our workshops and receive the Draft Training Products pack.

Upon reviewing the Draft Training Products pack, please click [here] to submit your feedback.

If you prefer to provide your feedback via email, or have any further questions, please contact our Training Product Development team at:

tpd@publicskillsaustralia.org.au.