A National Certificate in Pest Management has recently been developed by the Agriculture Industry Training Organisation.

This qualification is for people who are involved in pest management, specifically possum pest control. Health and safety is important in the pest management industry, so people need the skills to manage their own health and safety when working outdoors, and handling traps and toxins for pest management. The qualification has two parts - compulsory subjects, and other topics called 'electives' from which people can choose depending on their interests and their job requirements. Compulsory subjects include:

• navigating safely outdoors
• recognising weather conditions
• observing protocol when working on and around farmland
• communicating with team members and the public
• the safe operation of motorcycles, special purpose and all terrain vehicles
• possum management operations
• compliance
• using traps and toxins to control possum pests
• biology and environmental impact of possum pests
• possum fur recovery (optional)

For details on how to enrol, or for more information about this qualification, contact an Agriculture ITO Industry Adviser on 0800 777 303