Complementary Health Training Package Products: Draft 1 Consultation

Background

The Training Package Products allocated to the Complementary Health IRC were last endorsed on 05 August 2015. The IRC identified the need to review its Qualifications packaged in the HLT Health Training Package during preparation of its 2018 Industry Skills Forecast (ISF). This ISF which outlined the Case for Change was submitted to the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) for approval to update the Products to meet current and future industry needs.

The stakeholder consultations held in 2017–2018 identified an increasing acceptance by the general public of Complementary Health disciplines as key contributors to an individual’s overall physical and psychological wellness. As a result of this acceptance, the number of establishments in the sector has increased, and this growth has been projected to drive annual revenue by at least +2% through to 2022 with an estimated value of at least $4.4 billion.

Responding to the labour force data which indicated that employment levels for Massage Therapists would reach 17,700 (+13.8%) nationally by 2022, the IRC, in its ISF submission to the AISC, proposed the review and development of the Massage Therapy Training Package Products. These were initially to be carried out during the 2018–2019 fiscal year, but because these Products had been extensively reviewed in 2015, the IRC proposed they be reviewed in the 2019–2020 fiscal year.

This IRC has responsibility for two Massage-related Qualifications within the HLT Health Training Package. It is also responsible for eight Massage-related Units of Competency. These are as follows:

Qualifications

• HLT42015 Certificate IV in Massage Therapy
  
• HLT52015 Diploma of Remedial Massage.
  
  

Units of Competency

• HTLMSG001 Develop massage practice
• HTLMSG002 Assess client massage needs
• HTLMSG003 Perform remedial massage musculoskeletal assessments
• HTLMSG004 Provide massage treatments
• HTLMSG005 Provide remedial massage treatments
• HTLMSG006 Adapt remedial massage treatments to meet specific needs
• HLTMSG007 Adapt remedial massage practice for athletes
• HTLMSG008 Monitor and evaluate remedial massage treatments.

Updates to the Training Package Products outlined above will assist in addressing the fundamental need for consistency in Massage, Remedial Massage Therapy and Reflexology training across the country, to ensure training practices are able to meet industry needs.

Project Governance

This project is being overseen by the Complementary Health IRC. Membership of the IRC is as follows:




The IRC has convened a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to provide specialist input into the review and development of these Training Package Products. Membership of the Massage Therapy TAC is as follows:



Project Status

Consultation for Draft 1 commenced on Thursday, 26 November 2020 and closed at 5:00pm on Thursday, 24 December 2020.

Draft 1 of the Training Package Products was available for comment on the SkillsIQ Online Feedback Forum. A Consultation Guide summarising the proposed changes was included and can be downloaded from the bottom of this page. To access the Feedback Forum, please click here.

The SkillsIQ Feedback Forum provides all stakeholders with the opportunity to provide detailed input on any aspect of proposed Training Package components (Qualifications, Units of Competency and Skill Sets) during designated consultation periods. Whether you are an employer; peak body or industry association; government body or regulator; employee association; training provider; or student, we want to hear your views on proposed changes to the Training Package that will provide skills and knowledge applicable to the Massage Therapy sector.

You will be able to view the comments that other stakeholders have left and in turn post your own comment or reply to another comment already posted.

Consultation Activities

SkillsIQ has undertaken several activities at which industry stakeholders and VET professionals were able to provide feedback. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, public consultation on Draft 1 took place via webinars, emails and the SkillsIQ Online Feedback Forum.

                    Date                                                   Time
Webinar 1: Tuesday, 08 December 2020         9:00am–11:00am AEDT - closed
Webinar 2: Friday, 11 December 2020             12:00pm–2:00pm AEDT - closed
Webinar 3: Tuesday, 15 December 2020         9:00am–11:00am AEDT - closed
Webinar 4: Wednesday, 16 December 2020   1:00pm–3:00pm AEDT - closed

Please click here to view the Massage Therapy Draft 1 webinar presentation.

The newly proposed Advanced Diploma of Remedial Massage does not form part of this consultation. It is currently under development and will be consulted on at a later stage. A survey requesting feedback on what should be included in the Qualification is currently underway. The survey can be found here.



Project Timings



Following the close of the consultation period, feedback received will be collated and provided to the IRC to inform the development of Draft 2, which will be made publicly available for validation prior to submission for endorsement.

Further information 

For more information or to discuss, please contact Patrick Cummings at patrick.cummings@skillsiq.com.au or by telephone at 0429 600 586.