Commissioners Information Bulletin 404
Date of effect: 27 February 2009

Furnishing - Floor Technology - new trade and traineeship vocation

The Commissioner for Vocational Training, in consultation with ForestWorks NSW, the industry training advisory body for the furnishing industry in New South Wales, has varied the existing Vocational Training Orders (VTOs) for trade and traineeship vocations in the furnishing industry.

The qualifications of LMF20102 Certificate II in Floor Covering and Finishing and LMF30102 Certificate III in Floor Covering and Finishing have been deleted from respectively, the Floor Covering and Finishing trade VTO and the Furnishing traineeship VTO.

The trade and traineeship vocations of Furnishing – Floor Technology have been established aligned to qualifications from Version 2 of LMF02 Furnishing Training Package.

The VTOs specifiy a number of matters including the terms of training, probationary periods, competency outcomes and courses of study to be undertaken.

The VTO for the trade is at Attachment A.

The VTO for the traineeship is at Attachment B.

LMF02 Furnishing Training Package (Version 2)

LMF02 covers occupations such as cabinetmaking, woodmachining, upholstery, floor finishing and covering, picture framing and interior decorating.

Category two changes to LMF02 (Version 2) resulted in units of competency and qualifications for seven new industry sectors, including Flooring technology: Floor Covering and Finishing qualifications were replaced with Flooring Technology qualifications.

Qualifications

For the purpose of the VTOs, trainees in the NSW furnishing industry can now gain the LMF20908 Certificate II in Flooring Technology qualification and apprentices, LMF31208 Certificate III in Flooring Technology.

The packaging and structure requirements for each qualification are outlined in Attachment C.

Job descriptions

Trainees in the floor technology industry will learn how to install simple floor coverings, use appropriate hand and power tools, remove existing floor coverings, install soft underlays and install pre-finished timber flooring.

Apprentices in the floor technology industry will learn how to use flooring sector hand and power tools, removing existing floor coverings, install hard underlays, prepare timber sub-floor, install cork flooring, install soft underlays and carpet gripper strips, install parquetry flooring, read and interpret work documents, estimate and cost job and handle dangerous goods/hazardous substances.

Industrial arrangements

Applications under the Apprenticeship and Traineeship Act 2001 to establish any apprenticeship or traineeship will not be approved unless the Commissioner for Vocational Training is satisfied that appropriate industrial arrangements are in place.

Industrial arrangements under which Floor Technology apprentices and trainees can be employed are listed at Attachment D.

School based traineeships

ForestWorks NSW has recommended that LMF20908 Certificate II in Flooring Technology is suitable for delivery in schools.

For all school based, part-time traineeships being delivered in New South Wales see School Based Traineeships.

For further information on the delivery of training for school based traineeships, refer to Training Arrangements.

Licensing and regulatory arrangements

The NSW Office of Fair Trading advised that, for the purposes of licensing, flooring refers to the installation of any material permanently installed as a fixture to form a floor and includes a permanently installed upper layer and wearing surface of a floor.

Examples of installations and activities encompassed by the term flooring include, but are not necessarily limited to:

• tongue and groove flooring
• timber strip flooring
• particle board flooring
• parquetry flooring
• cork flooring
• floor sanding and sealing.

Currently the NSW Office of Fair Trading requires the completion of LMF30102 Certificate III in Floor Covering and Finishing before a flooring licence can be issued.

It is anticipated that LMF31208 Certificate III in Flooring Technology will replace LMF30102 Certificate III in Floor Covering and Finishing. Any enquiry about flooring licences should be directed to NSW Office of Fair Trading.

Learning resources and assessment materials

TAFE NSW has developed curriculum and other assessment resources for the LMF02 Furnishing Training Package qualifications. These are available from Resources.
 
Manufacturing Skills Australia has developed self-paced learner guides to align with sector specialist units of competency in the Training Package. These guides, along with other endorsed and non-endorsed support materials are available from Australian Training Products.

Skills on Line has developed user-focused training, learning and assessment materials that support the delivery of furnishing, competency standards and skill sets.

Availability of Registered Training Organisations

The National Training Information Service identifies training organisations registered in New South Wales to deliver qualifications from LMF02 Furnishing Training Package (Version 2).

Note - This Commissioner’s Information Bulletin (CIB) supersedes floor covering and finishing apprenticeship and traineeship information in CIBs 226, 266 and 266a.

For any enquiries regarding this CIB, please contact the Vocational Training Tribunal Unit on (02) 9266 8579.

PHILLIP MOORE
Commissioner for Vocational Training