What are forklift skill standards?

Some forklift unit standards are being replaced by forklift skill standards. Current unit standards expire in December 2027, but skill standards can be used before then. Skill standards are another way of defining a set of learning objectives and assessment criteria to ensure that a person meets a particular skill level.

The unit standards were:

10851 – this unit standard is the main standard to operate a forklift, and is usually offered with an operator’s certificate. The new skills standard number is 40735.

10852 – this unit standard is for people who operate with attachments fitted. The new skills standard number is 40736.

18409 – this unit standard is for personnel cages / man cages / work platforms that attach to the forks. The new skills standard number is 40737.

Note that the F endorsement (18496) is unaffected as of writing.

We’ve spent the last 12 months as part of a committee rewriting these standards to be more relevant. The number of credits for the operator’s certificate equivalent is being reduced from 7 to 4 to better reflect the time required to achieve it.

What does it mean for you?

Not much for the moment. Training providers might provide a unit standard, a skill standard or both. If you are doing 10851 as part of a qualification that requires as many credits as possible, then it gives 3 more than the skill standard (7 vs 4), so you’ll probably want to stick with that.

ID	Title	Level	Credit	Review Category
10851 40735	Operate a powered industrial lift truck (forklift) Operate a forklift safely	3	7 4	C
10852  40736	Operate a powered industrial lift truck (forklift) fitted with attachments Operate a forklift fitted with an attachment	3	3	C
18409 40737	Use a forklift mounted safety platform in the workplace Operate a forklift and perform a task with a working platform	3	4	C

The other change is that if you want to get skill standard 40737, it will be mandatory to hold unit standard 23229 Use safety harness system when working at height.

It should be noted that in all cases, except the F endorsement, skill standards and unit standards are optional. You could do competency-based training instead. Competency-based training is sometimes better because it can be tailored more accurately to a person’s workplace, and the assessment can be specific to the type of work done. With a skill standard or unit standard, you can only be assessed to the requirements of those standards.