First Nations high school students from Warrnambool are being encouraged to take up career opportunities in the dairy sector throughout southwest Victoria.
A working relationship between West Vic Dairy - the western Victorian body for the regional development program of Dairy Australia - and the Clontarf Academy based in Warrnambool College has begun.
The academy is part of the Clontarf Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation aiming to encourage healthy lifestyles for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with employment pathways or tertiary studies after high school.
Director of the Warrnambool Clontarf Academy Mark Ciurleo said much of his work seeks to improve self-esteem and confidence in students.
He said he was pleasantly surprised at the number of local job opportunities and is encouraged by the dairy industry's positive engagement.
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"There is a massive range of jobs from obviously being on the farm to fabrication or engineering, being an electrician, truck driving, and more," he said
"It's so good to open the students eyes here to show that all this is on their doorstep locally in Warrnambool."
West Vic Dairy's career development officer Jim Burrell agrees that the possibilities in dairy are endless and is determined to get more underrepresented groups involved in the sector.
In May, he helped organise a visit from two local farmers - Brad Sheen, Allansford, and Paul Dunn, Camperdown - to speak with academy members.
He said while the relationship is still in its "early days", there are positive signs of engagement with several students interested in work experience opportunities.
"[Students] were attracted by the sort of money they might be able to earn even while at school doing things like relief milking on weekends and holidays," he said.
While a good salary is a motivating factor, Mr Burrell said it was important to discuss the value on caring for their country for Indigenous people wanting to work in the sector.
"For First Nations people, we need to be looking at how we can be better stewards of the land locally, rather than simply mastering livestock, although those skills are important too," he said
"But it is positive that many of these Indigenous students are interested in the idea of sitting on a bike, bringing the cows to milk and doing work on-farm."
And even if working in dairy isn't their long-term goal, Mr Burrell said the agricultural sector would benefit as a whole with more Indigenous participation.
"If they want to pursue agronomy or something else, it'll be great to put on a resume that they've worked in the dairy industry as it will say a lot about you and the hard work you've done already," Mr Burrell said.
West Vic Dairy and Warrnambool Clontarf Academy will continue to work together to put on a field day later in the year, where students will visit local farms and incorporate cultural experiences on country.