A CAMPAIGN to address the chronic skill shortage in the agricultural sector has gained momentum and will see an increase in primary industry programs offered in high schools next year.
Victorian Rural Woman of the Year Julie Aldous (pictured) has been flying the agriculture education flag across the State, promoting Mansfield Secondary College's successful Pre-Ag Partnerships in Rural Education program as a model to be rolled out at interested rural schools from next year.
The cost-neutral program links students with farmers and agricultural professionals in an apprenticeship-type relationship through which they are introduced to a wide range of career options within the industry.
"We already know there is a lack of people who are going into agriculture courses and we already know there is a shortage in the skilled workforce area, so what I am trying to do is encourage students – particularly in rural areas – to consider ag as a career opportunity," Ms Aldous said.
Since being awarded the prestigious RIRDC Victorian Rural Women's Award earlier this year, Ms Aldous has travelled around the State speaking with interested schools which plan to adopt aspects of the program.
Ms Aldous aims to introduce agriculture to the mainstream curriculum through the Pre-Ag Partnerships that will be used as a foundation model to be adapted to each region's skill and ag workforce demand.
"The program structure is there," she said.
"The challenge is to get schools to form those partnership with their local communities."
This year Ms Aldous hopes to secure two years of funding support to establish a position that will be responsible for the rollout of the program at rural schools across Victoria.
"There has been a lot of interest and there may well be funding forthcoming but I haven't had confirmation of that yet," she said.
"The options would be through industry or financial groups, with both areas showing an interest to support."
Ms Aldous said while it was encouraging to hear "noise" at government level about how to address the ag sector skill shortage, it "needs to be translated into action".