FOLS continues to expand into new regions. FOLS supports the professionalism and safety of industry through a national electronic system of recording training and verifying currency. FOLS verifies that a worker’ has undertaken the required nationally recognised training and has kept their skills current through regular practice for their job role.
FOLS is an online system that records the skills of a worker and stores the Statement of Attainment, confirming nationally recognised training has been undertaken. A statement provided by their current employer verifies currency of a worker. FOLS, through the online system, provides the opportunity for workers to share their FOLS records with their employer – contractor and/or forest manager.
New South Wales Update
In 2017, Forestry Corporation NSW and ForestWorks began implementing FOLS within the northern hardwood division of FCNSW. This has resulted in collating the evidence of skills and competency for over 200 forest workers in the harvesting and haulage sectors and liaising with training providers to address any skills gaps that were identified through this process.
Forestry Corporation NSW has now commenced implementing FOLS with their forest operators in the South Coast Hardwood forest management unit. This process is expected to be simpler as a number of contractors and their employees have worked in Victoria and already have a FOLS as a result of working with VicForests. There are some differences in the training requirements for each Forest Manager and the expectation is there will be some identified training gaps during this process. The opportunity to use a single management tool to meet the requirements of two forest managers, instead of maintaining records in two separate databases, will streamline record management for workers, contractors and forest managers.
FOLS Western Australia
Recently Diana Lloyd and Tim Cleary of ForestWorks travelled to Bunbury, WA to meet with forest industry representatives to demonstrate and discuss FOLS and how it could be implemented in WA. This follows on from Wilson Yornup Service Pty Ltd adopting FOLS in 2017 for their truck drivers and forest operators.