Get ready for the graduates

The gap in our industry is that the industry qualifications do not match the industry positions.

The conversation around agri-education has stepped up a gear. From the quiet rumblings of a frustrated industry there is now an excited and optimistic voice of Waikato farmers, who have found a possible solution in the form of the old Farmer Cadet Scheme.

Federated Farmers started the Farmer Cadet Scheme back in the 70s, which was originally a three-year course where cadets studied for trade certificates with practical training provided by approved farmers. It ran through till 1990 when until it was amalgamated into the Farm Education Training Association and then it seems it lost its status.

Back in the day I was a cadet at 17, I did the Certificate in Agriculture at the Waikato Polytechnic. Over a six-month period for every month I spent in the classroom I spent a week on a farm, putting the methods and skills I learned into practice.

What the scheme did was set a minimum standard for employees and employers, and consequently became the industry benchmark. You were visited on farm each month by your education provider and interviewed to make sure both you and your employer were performing to standard. If things weren't right they would stay and nut things out before writing a progress report.

Unfortunately, this scheme lost it's momentum in the late 80s with the loss of farmer subsidies and a government focused on deregulation. While it was not a bad thing for agriculture in the end, we lost a staple service in feeding the agricultural workforce with reliable and skilled workers.

Currently, the gap for our industry is that the industry qualifications do not match the industry positions and there is a growing need for a qualified workforce. MPI predicts that by 2025 the dairy industry will need 8300 more workers with qualifications. Federated Farmers wants to work with agricultural education organisations to come up with a more unified approach but it requires NZQA and MPI to get on board and work with the sector.

If the Government wants us to meet the targets of doubling exports by 2025, we need to ensure we have a robust education system to build an educated workforce. While we have great institutions now there is a lack of consistency and understanding of what the industry needs.

The cadet scheme was set up as an entryway into the workforce where the majority were offered jobs before they'd finished their studies. It also dealt with employment standards in that the cadets had employee contracts. It was well respected and the cadets and employers were set as an unofficial benchmark for the industry, which kept people honest in that the market dictated the standards.

There have been calls for minimum standards out there, and, if you listen to what the likes of Helen Kelly are asking for, the Farmer Cadet Scheme appears to tick a lot of those boxes. It stood for an educated, consistent and sustainable workforce. That is something the industry is working on in the sustainable dairying workplace accord. And Primary ITO's chief executive Mark Jeffries appears to be on board with that.

Mark must be commended for his approach and his support of the proposed revival of the Scheme. DairyNZ, Federated Farmers' policy team, Dairy and Meat and Fibre chairmen Andrew Hoggard and Rick Powdrell, and I, are working on an adoption of a code of standards around human resources, safety, education and ethics between trainee and employer, and a learning plan that would outline the expectations of both farm owner and trainee.

We are lucky as an industry to have great farming organisations like DairyNZ, Primary ITO and Federated Farmers who are passionate about farming and put their heads together to come up with long-term practical solutions to lead the industry. These initiatives take time to understand, develop and promote.

Employers need to have minimum standards in place now, such as Federated Farmers employment agreements, drug and alcohol policy, time wage and holiday records and health and safety policy, along with flexible roosters and a great work environment. Farming is a great career, something I have been very lucky to enjoy. The satisfaction of overcoming the challenges it presents everyday, whilst providing a great lifestyle for my family is hard to beat!

What is most important is that we have an organised education system that meets everyone's needs. Whether you are the employer, student, parent or education provider, everyone's needs should be known to all concerned.

Chris Lewis is Federated Farmers Waikato provincial president.