Secure your
Future in Agriculture
By Priscilla Cuming
According
to recent reports, rural Australia has real shortage of skilled workers
and is crying out for young people armed with practical knowledge and
a good grounding in the principles of farming to fill positions.
However, people are
often forced to leave their local area to undertake agricultural training
in major centres and as we all know that sometimes they don’t return.
Rural Industries Skill Training (RIST) provides an opportunity to obtain
a nationally recognised Diploma of Agriculture without having to leave
current employment which is often the family farm.
Conducted at The RIST
Centre in Hamilton, the Diploma is undertaken over 2 years on a part time
basis with students participating in sessions approximately one day per
fortnight.
RIST utilises a modern building complex with the Department of Primary
Industries, and students are fortunate to have access to facilities on
the 1000-hectare research farm.
Participants describe the course as intensely practical with each session giving them skills they can apply directly on farm.
Students learn the
latest skills and management practices
incorporating pasture and animal management.
Subjects such as managing finances, business planning and trading and
commodities give a holistic and relevant aspect to the Diploma .
While each module
is separate, the course culminates in each student presenting a Farm Production
plan to the group .
This encourages students not to take each subject as a separate piece
but to see it as part of a whole farm planning process.
• Diploma
of Agriculture
• Nationally Recognised
Training Courses
• Traineeships
Developed in consultation with current agricultural employers, the course has helped students bridge not only the generation gap but also the skills gap for a number of students and their employers, often families.
Katie Papworth, 24, works for her grandparents Stuart and Edna Forsyth at their property ‘Warenda’ near Dunkeld, as well as at the Hamilton Vet Clinic. She is about to begin her second year of the Diploma.
“Katie has been really enjoying the Diploma, she’s always been very capable but it has helped her build on the skills she already had.” said Stuart.
“It is great that she is learning such a lot of new information that is so relevant to farming in this area”
“We’re getting on a bit now and the fact that Katie is gaining all these new skills really takes the pressure off us” he added.
RIST Chief Executive Officer Bill Hamill believes the Diploma is an important step in bringing education to rural and regional communities.
“The Diploma provides appropriate education close to the place of work of these producers and employees so they can undertake their studies while continuing to work within the agricultural industry.” Mr Hamill said.
With a formal qualification recognising desired skills, Diploma of Agriculture students leave their RIST training ready for what the future of Agriculture may bring.
For further information please contact:
Jan Bain, Program Administrator (03) 5573 0943
Contact RIST if you would like to talk training.
We are here to provide the training
you want, when and where you want it.
Rural
Industries Skill Training
Setting the course for increased profits in agriculture
Mount Napier Road, Hamilton. Victoria 3300 Ph (03)5573 0943