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The Western Australian sheep industry is pinning its hopes on traineeships to help solve the labour gap in agriculture and encourage a new generation of farmers.
The Sheep Industry Leadership Council (SILC), together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is urging farmers to take part in the program, which works much like an apprenticeship.
Jackie Jarvis, consultant with Agrifood Labour and Skills, said it provided an attractive pathway for young people to get formally qualified in something they loved doing.
"It's essentially a certificate three in agriculture. So it's really 12 months on the job as a full-time employee, but learning on the job and getting an outside assessor to come in and assess your skills and make sure you qualify," she said.
"A criticism we hear about this program is the time it takes to train the workers.
"A lot of these farming businesses are training backpackers or seasonal workers and they're putting time into someone who isn't going to be there next season, or even next month.
"It's really worthwhile, because you're getting a trained-up staff member and it gives you some succession options.
"It's really about skilling up a workforce who can take over management of farms without necessarily sitting and waiting for your son or daughter to come home."
After consulting with industry, SILC highlighted 22 units of competency - hands-on, practical skills such as drenching, fencing and welding.
The minimum federal award for an 18-year-old school leaver under an approved traineeship is $9.92 per hour.
"It's flexible, that's the minimum. So for around $21,000 you can get someone on a full-time wage including superannuation," Ms Jarvis said.
"It is a really affordable option."
Farming businesses may be eligible for up to $5,000 in government incentives for employing a trainee, which Ms Jarvis said helprf to offset some of the time put into training a young person.
Topics: sheep-production, apprenticeships, rural-youth, education-industry, katanning-6317
