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Unit of competency details

AHCMDC304 - Undertake care and maintenance of medicinal cannabis (Release 1)

Summary

Usage recommendation:
Current
Release Status:
Current
Releases:
ReleaseRelease date
1 1 (this release) 24/Dec/2020

Companion volumes:
Unit of competency Assessment requirements

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Classifications

SchemeCodeClassification value
ASCED Module/Unit of Competency Field of Education Identifier 050301 Horticulture  

Classification history

SchemeCodeClassification valueStart dateEnd date
ASCED Module/Unit of Competency Field of Education Identifier 050301 Horticulture  09/Feb/2021 
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Unit of competency

Modification History

Release

Comments

Release 1

This version released with AHC Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package Version 6.0.

Application

This unit of competency describes the skills and knowledge required to care for and maintain medicinal cannabis plants during their vegetative and flowering cycles according to the care and maintenance plan. It includes the care and maintenance of mother plants that are kept in the vegetative stage. It requires the ability to prepare for care and maintenance activities, assess plant growth for care and maintenance requirements, apply trimming and training techniques to achieve best flower production, monitor and control plant health and environmental climate conditions, and carry out all recording and reporting requirements throughout the vegetative and flowering cycles according to regulatory and quality requirements.

The unit applies to individuals who perform skilled maintenance work on medicinal cannabis plants on a licensed medicinal cannabis production site. They may work independently or as part of a team.

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

Pre-requisite Unit

Nil

Unit Sector

Medicinal Cannabis (MDC)

Elements and Performance Criteria

Elements

Performance Criteria

Elements describe the essential outcomes.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.

1. Prepare for care and maintenance of medicinal cannabis

1.1 Confirm maintenance plan and monitoring schedules with supervisor

1.2 Identify health and safety hazards, assess risks and implement control measures

1.3 Prepare self and required approved tools, equipment and materials, including personal protective equipment, according to hygiene and sanitation and health and safety procedures

1.4 Check cultivation work area is clean and free of waste on entering secured area

2. Maintain medicinal cannabis plants

2.1 Check and record quantity and weight of plants to be maintained, including mother plants, against specifications

2.2 Check plant growth to determine maintenance needs

2.3 Trim and shape plants to allow airflow, and set up framework for flowering

2.4 Use trimming and shaping techniques to preserve mother plants in the vegetative stage

2.5 Secure and train plants onto support structures

2.6 Use tools and equipment safely and cautiously around cultivation environment

2.7 Repot and transfer pots between vegetative and flowering areas using safe practices

2.8 Check water and nutrient requirements after pruning and potting, and adjust manually or use control systems to maintain to required levels

2.9 Record required data and observations according to workplace quality procedures, including any deviations in recorded quantities and weights

3. Monitor plant health and climate control during growing and flowering stages

3.1 Calculate and record quantity and weight of plants to be monitored

3.2 Check plant health according to monitoring schedule, and adjust water and nutrients levels as required

3.3 Check for signs of disease or pests, and if required, apply treatments according to workplace procedures

3.4 Check climate control systems, including temperature, lighting, carbon dioxide and humidity levels, according to specification and adjust as required

3.5 Monitor growing system for safety, hygiene and plant waste to be removed

3.6 Record required data and observations according to workplace quality procedures, including any deviations in recorded quantities and weights

4. Complete post care and maintenance activities

4.1 Check cultivation work area is clean before safely leaving secured area

4.2 Check plant waste is weighed, recorded and placed in designated containers, and material waste is safely disposed of according to workplace and regulatory requirements

4.3 Record and report on care and maintenance activities, including any non-compliance or potential problems

Foundation Skills

This section describes those language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills that are essential for performance in this unit of competency but are not explicit in the performance criteria.

Skill

Description

Reading
  • Interpret textual information from a range of sources to identify relevant information about maintenance requirements, monitoring schedule, workplace procedures and regulatory requirements

Writing
  • Use clear language and industry terminology to complete workplace records and reports

Oral communication
  • Use clear language and industry terminology to report on maintenance activities

Numeracy
  • Interpret numerical data from sampling and growing system gauges, and make adjustments to fertigation and climate controls

Unit Mapping Information

Code and title current version

Code and title previous version

Comments

Equivalence status

AHCMDC304 Undertake care and maintenance of medicinal cannabis

Not applicable

The unit has been created to address an emerging skill or task required by industry

Newly created

Links

Companion Volumes, including Implementation Guides, are available at VETNet: - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=c6399549-9c62-4a5e-bf1a-524b2322cf72

 

Assessment requirements

Modification History

Release

Comments

Release 1

This version released with AHC Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package Version 6.0.

Performance Evidence

An individual demonstrating competency must satisfy all of the elements and performance criteria in this unit.

There must be evidence that the individual has undertaken the care and maintenance of at least six medicinal cannabis plants on at least two occasions for a vegetative cycle and at least two occasions for a flowering cycle, including:

  • identified risks and applied control measures
  • maintained safe, clean and sanitised work area
  • selected and prepared the required tools, equipment and materials
  • applied the required hygiene and sanitation and health safety requirements for self and tools and equipment
  • monitored and recorded counts and weight of plants, and checked for deviations
  • applied trimming and shaping techniques that maintained right balance of growth and flower production and/or preserved mother plants
  • applied required training techniques to support plants onto structures
  • monitored plant health by visual inspection and sampling
  • applied required treatments and/or remedies to maintain plant health and/or treat any identified common health issues, disease or pests
  • monitored, controlled and made required adjustments to water and nutrient requirements and environmental climate conditions during the vegetative and flowering cycles based on specifications and plant needs
  • complied with security and waste disposal requirements
  • maintained accurate records and reports on maintenance data and activities, including any non-compliance and deviations.

Knowledge Evidence

An individual must be able to demonstrate the knowledge required to perform the tasks outlined in the elements and performance criteria of this unit. This includes knowledge of:

  • organisational care and maintenance plan for medicinal cannabis
  • process for conducting health and safety risk assessment, and control measures that may be used during plant maintenance processes
  • medicinal cannabis during the vegetative and flowering cycles, including:
  • plant morphology
  • signs of common plant health issues, including nutrient deficiencies or excesses, environmental stress such as water, temperature and humidity stress, and mould, and their remedies
  • signs of common diseases and pests, and their control
  • regulatory and workplace requirements related to the care and maintenance of medicinal cannabis plants, including:
  • hygiene and sanitation
  • health and safety, including manual handling
  • physical security of cannabis
  • disposal and destruction of plant waste
  • identification and traceability
  • recording and reporting requirements
  • biosecurity
  • principles of Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) in relation to the care and maintenance of medicinal cannabis plants during vegetative and flowering cycles, including:
  • trimming, shaping and training techniques used for optimum flower production, reducing risk of disease and preserving mother plants
  • different water and nutrient requirements for vegetative cycles, including mother plants, and flowering cycles
  • different climate requirements, including ideal target lighting intensity, carbon dioxide, temperature and humidity levels for vegetative cycles, including mother plants, and flowering cycles
  • monitoring plant health and climate conditions
  • disease and pest control
  • quality controls
  • function, operation and maintenance of tools and equipment used during the care and maintenance of medicinal cannabis plants, including approval and operational checks
  • function and operation of growing systems, including their control systems.

Assessment Conditions

Assessment of the skills in this unit of competency must take place under the following conditions:

  • physical conditions:
  • skills must be demonstrated in a medicinal cannabis production site or an environment that accurately represents workplace conditions
  • resources, equipment and materials:
  • personal protective equipment
  • plants during their vegetative and flowering stages
  • tools, equipment and materials required for maintenance tasks
  • tools, equipment and materials for cleaning and sanitation
  • sampling equipment
  • workplace recording and reporting system
  • specifications:
  • maintenance specifications
  • monitoring schedule
  • workplace procedures relating to the maintenance of medicinal cannabis, including health and safety, hygiene and sanitation, recording and reporting and security regulatory requirements
  • relationships:
  • supervisor.

Assessors of this unit must satisfy the requirements for assessors in applicable vocational education and training legislation, frameworks and/or standards.

Links

Companion Volumes, including Implementation Guides, are available at VETNet: - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=c6399549-9c62-4a5e-bf1a-524b2322cf72

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