VICTORIA'S Loddon Mallee will take the lead in a ground-breaking new regional effort: the AgriFood National Regional Initiatives (AgriFood NRI).
The program is an initiative of AgriFood Skills Australia - an industry driven company who work with rural industry, government, education and training providers to meet the skills and workforce needs of industry across Australia.
AgriFood NRI is a national first, in confronting and countering the engrained employment and job retention problems endemic to regional communities across Australia.
AgriFood NRI is focused on working with regional communities to attract and retain workers, increase profits for businesses and build stronger communities.
The initiative is now being rolled out across four regions; Loddon Mallee in Victoria, Western Downs in Queensland, Warren Blackwood in Western Australia and Eyre Peninsula in South Australia.
Loddon Mallee regional development manager Graeme Lynas said the initiative would be a game changer for Buloke, Gannawarra and Loddon Shires.
"The opportunity to provide quality and targeted education and training across the agrifoods industry, based on extensive consultation and research, will lead to more skilled employers and employees, with increased profitability, resulting in stronger communities," he said.
“This will be a strong partnership between AgriFood Skills Australia, local, State and Federal governments, industry and local communities to reposition our region’s key industries for the future.”
AgriFood NRI is based on the highly successful three year pilot, ‘Make it Work’, conducted in the Narrabri region.
Supported by AgriFood Skills Australia, the pilot has been hailed as an international success, in empowering regional communities to find their own solutions to their skills and employment problems.
The pilot has delivered an outstanding result, in achieving a 3 per cent gain in annual productivity and a 30pc net reduction in workers exiting the region. (Allens Consulting Report)
