AgITO

Duration: 7 – 8 months

Suitable for people new to the pork industry. Recommended for people wanting to be stockpersons.

Topics include:

• Feeding pigs and sanitising the piggery under direct supervision Entering and walking through a pork production section, and inspect pigs and equipment
• Carrying out pork production unit biosecurity procedures
• Handling, restraining, moving and holding pigs as directed
• Health and safety in the workplace
• Electives recognise the varied entry level skills required of pork industry employees.

Duration: 8 – 9 months

Suitable for people working day to day at an operational level in the pork industry who want to further their skills in pig reproduction in an indoor or outdoor pork production unit. Recommended for people wanting to be Senior Stockpersons.

Topics include:

• The skills to carry out checks, oestrus detection, mating and culling of sow breeding stock
• Caring for the sow and litter from birth to weaning
• Electives include the skills required to assist sows to farrow, caring for newly weaned pigs or grower pigs, feeding of pigs and pregnancy testing.

Duration: 10 months

Suitable for people working day to day at an operational level in the pork industry who wish to further their skills in pig husbandry in an indoor or outdoor pork production unit. Recommended for people wanting to be Senior Stockpersons.

Topics include:

• The skills and knowledge needed to maintain feed supplies
• Managing feed deliveries
• Identifying health and ill health signs in pigs
• Performing supervised preventative health procedures
• Maintain pork production unit hygiene, catch, restrain, lift, and move pigs
• Biosecurity procedures
• Pig anatomy and physiology
• Pork production unit waste
• The relationship between handling and behaviour
• Grower and weaner pig husbandry
• Electives recognise the skills applicable to workplace or personal development requirements.

Duration: 16 months

Suitable for those with experience in the pork industry who wish to gain the skills to manage a section of the pork production unit. Recommended for people wanting to be Section Managers.

Topics include:

• Planning a preventative health programme
• Managing the sow and litter care from farrowing to weaning
• Managing pig breeding care from post-weaning to farrowing
• Selecting market pigs for sale, and managing their transport
• Planning, implementing and evaluating work routines for a pork production section
• Developing a health and safety plan
• Preparing, monitoring and implementing changes to a pork production section biosecurity plan
• Knowledge of pig nutrition, pig diseases and disorders
• Mating, dry sow management practices and artificial insemination
• Workplace compliance requirements
• Electives recognise the additional skills required when involved with section management and allow people to select standards which are applicable to their workplace.

Duration: 8 – 9 months

Suitable for those who wish to improve their knowledge of advanced husbandry procedures. This qualification is part of the National Diploma in Pork Production. Recommended for people wanting to be Advanced Husbandry Specialists.

Topics include:

• The skills to plan a health programme
• Knowledge of the composition and contribution of feed nutrients used for pigs, diet formulation
• The effect of disease on pig herd productivity and disease management, and pig breeding programmes
• Pig genetics, breeding, and improvement
• Pig reproductive organs and hormones, and factors affecting reproductive performance
• Electives recognise the skills applicable to workplace requirements.

Duration: 7 – 8 months

Suitable for those who manage, or intend to manage, a pork production unit as pork unit. This qualification is part of the National Diploma in Pork Production managers. Recommended for people wanting to be Unit Managers.

Topics include:

• The skills to assess pork production unit capacity
• Setting production targets for KPIs
• Preparing a production plan and monitoring variations
• Preparing, monitoring and implementing changes to a pork production unit biosecurity plan.

Duration: 25 months

Suitable for people with experience as pork unit managers who want to develop the skills to manage the human resource and business aspects of the Pork Production Unit.

This qualification is gained by completing National Certificates in Pork Production in Husbandry (Level 4) and Unit Management (Level 5) and six other specific human resources and communication unit standards. Recommended for people wanting to be Unit or Multi-site Managers.

Topics include:

• The skills to manage the care of the grower pig herd and newly weaned pigs
• Assessing unit capacity, setting production targets, preparing a production plan and monitoring variations
• Formulating diets for pigs
• Planning a pork unit health programme
• Human resource and employment requirements
• Maintaining compliance with legal requirements and regulatory codes and standards
• Composition and contribution of feed nutrients used for pigs
• Disease management and the effect of disease on pig herd productivity
• Pig genetics and breeding.