All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source. |
SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY |
REGISTERED QUALIFICATION: |
Occupational Certificate: Forestry Technician |
SAQA QUAL ID | QUALIFICATION TITLE | |||
118209 | Occupational Certificate: Forestry Technician | |||
ORIGINATOR | ||||
Development Quality Partner - QCTO (Agri) | ||||
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY | NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK | |||
- | OQSF - Occupational Qualifications Sub-framework | |||
QUALIFICATION TYPE | FIELD | SUBFIELD | ||
Occupational Certificate | Field 01 - Agriculture and Nature Conservation | Forestry and Wood Technology | ||
ABET BAND | MINIMUM CREDITS | PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL | NQF LEVEL | QUAL CLASS |
Undefined | 129 | Not Applicable | NQF Level 05 | Regular-ELOAC |
REGISTRATION STATUS | SAQA DECISION NUMBER | REGISTRATION START DATE | REGISTRATION END DATE | |
Registered | EXCO 0522/24 | 2021-06-22 | 2025-12-31 | |
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT | LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT | |||
2026-12-31 | 2029-12-31 |
In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise. |
This qualification does not replace any other qualification and is not replaced by any other qualification. |
PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION |
Purpose:
The purpose of this qualification is to prepare a learner to operate as a Forestry Technician. A Forestry Technician provides technical inputs into forestry operational plans, the management and implementation thereof, collection of data, monitoring, analysing and managing operational team performance in support of sustainable forest management. Typical graduate attributes for the qualifying learner are the following: passionate, dynamic, positive, innovative, respectful, assertive, punctual, self-disciplined, transparent, team and performance driven, innovative, accommodating, patient, perceptive and motivated. A qualified learner will be able to: Rationale: In the forestry industry, there is a need for career development from a Production or Operations Supervisor (Forestry) and Forestry Production and Operations Foreman occupations into a Forestry Technician (Forestry) position. This qualification will bolster the practical acumen of Foresters to adequately and effectively manage technical forestry operations. This qualification will benefit individuals in rural communities giving them the opportunity for upskilling. Furthermore, there is another opportunity for rural communities to enter the field of natural resource management of which forestry is a component. The range of typical learners will consist of unemployed youth, forestry foreman, prospective foresters and qualified foresters who want to increase their practical experience in forestry. Foresters without a qualification can be given an opportunity to obtain a formal occupational qualification following the Recognition of Prior Learning route. The completion of this qualification will contribute to career pathing possibilities and increase the available talent pool. This qualification contributes to a learning pathway for a person to progress from Forestry Supervisor to Forestry Foreman and eventually to a Forestry Technician. The completion of this qualification will result in a Forestry Technician who is holistic, practically competent and technically orientated. By gaining practical and technical experience the learners will be able to contribute substantially to sustainable forest management and the achievement of operational objectives. The Forestry Technician qualification will give learners the confidence and enriched experience at a practical level to recognise and manage forestry technical operation challenges. |
RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? |
Y |
QUALIFICATION RULES |
This qualification consists of the following compulsory Knowledge, Practical Skill and Work Experience Modules:
Knowledge Modules: Total number of credits for Knowledge Modules: 28 Practical Skill Modules: Total number of credits for Practical Skill Modules: 29 Work Experience Modules: Total number of credits for Work Experience Modules: 72 |
EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES |
ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA |
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6: INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT Integrated Formative Assessment The skills development provider will use the curriculum to guide them on the stipulated internal assessment criteria and weighting. They will also apply the scope of practical skills and applied knowledge as stipulated by the internal assessment criteria. This formative assessment together with work experience leads to entrance into the integrated external summative assessment. Integrated Summative Assessment An external integrated summative assessment, conducted through the relevant QCTO Assessment Quality Partner is required for the issuing of this qualification. The external integrated summative assessment will focus on the exit level outcomes and associated assessment criteria. The Assessment will be conducted through written and the evaluation of practical tasks at decentralised approved assessment sites by a panel of assessors evaluated by assessor (s) registered with the AQP within a period of 1 day. |
INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY |
This qualification was compared with qualifications from New Zealand and Canada.
New Zealand Institution: Competenz - New Zealand Industry Training Organisation Qualification Name: Certificate in Forest Industry Operations (Planning and Monitoring) Level 4 on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF). Duration: 80 days / 50 - 64 credits. Entry Requirements: NQF level 3 forestry specific qualification. Qualification content - Learning Outcomes All the outcomes in the New Zealand qualification are covered in the Forestry Technician Occupational Certificate and is regarded as a very close match. Only two of the outcomes differ slightly as follows: It must be noted that the first qualification that was identified for international comparison was the Forestry Crew Manager at an NQF Level 5 which after contacting Competenz in New Zealand resulted in establishing that the qualification has been replaced with the above lower NQF level 4 qualification. The learning outcomes of the Certificate in Forest Industry Operations compares favourably to the Forestry Technician certificate. This NQF level 5 Forestry Technician qualification is in line with the occupational career development pathway for the forestry industry. Canada Institution: Ontario Colleges - Algonquin College, accredited with Cooperative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada. Qualification Name: Forest Technician Diploma. Duration: two years / 45 weeks / 225 day. Entry Requirements: English, Grade 12 (ENG4C or equivalent) and Mathematics, Grade 11 (MCF3M or equivalent). Qualification Content - Learning Outcomes This qualification consists of an 80-hour field placement whilst the Forestry Technician Occupational Certificate consists of 90 days' work experience and 36 days to complete the practical skills module. The level of decision making of this Forest Technician Diploma qualification rests with the Forester Graduate level who may find entry-level work in the fields of tree marking, forest inventory, forest environment and ecosystem assessment, compliance monitoring, forest renewal, harvesting, parks, wildlife management, nature interpretation, arboriculture, bio-energy management and forest fire control. Self-employment as a forestry contractor or consultant is another avenue graduates may decide to pursue whilst the level of the Forestry Technician qualification rests with a Foreman / Forester in Training (FIT) level. The Forest Technician diploma in Canada mainly focuses on best operating practices in silvicultural practices and not a holistic view of silviculture practices. The Occupational Certificate: Forestry Technician focuses on quality checks within all forestry operations. The former qualification is a higher level (NQF level 6) than the Occupational Certificate: Forestry Technician (NQF level 5) due to the level of stakeholder engagement, legislation and regulations. The Occupational Certificate: Forestry Technician focuses on communicating only to technical teams and management. Stakeholder communication is at an engagement level and not on the communication of technical information according to the Forestry Technician Diploma. There is a strategic focus of the Forest Technician Diploma vs an operational focus of the Occupational Certificate: Forestry Technician. Conclusion The Occupational Certificate: Forestry Technician compares favourably with the two qualifications with a number of similarities having been noted between the two qualifications, but the major difference is that the level of education for the Forest Technician Diploma is higher whilst the Occupational Certificate: Forestry Technician is more practically orientated. |
ARTICULATION OPTIONS |
This qualification allows possibilities for both vertical and horizontal articulation.
Horizontal Articulation: Vertical Articulation: |
NOTES |
Qualifying for External Assessment:
In order to qualify for an external assessment, learners must provide proof of completion of all required modules by means of statements of results and statement of work experience as well as proof of successful completion of the following subjects and modules or alternative programmes where applicable including Foundational Learning Competence. Additional legal or physical entry requirements None. Criteria for the accreditation of providers Accreditation of providers will be done against the criteria as reflected in the relevant curriculum on the QCTO website. The curriculum title and code is: Forestry Technician: 314301-000-00-00. Encompassed Trades This qualification encompasses the following trades as recorded on the NLRD None. Assessment Quality Partner (AQP) Quality Council for Trades & Occupations (QCTO) Related Part-Qualification None. |
LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION: |
NONE |
PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION: |
This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here. |
NONE |
All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source. |