Earlier this year the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) worked in partnership with DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand to fund research that forecasts the future capability requirements of the primary industries.
The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) released the research paper 'People Powered -- Building capabilities to keep New Zealand's primary industries internationally competitive'.
Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre chief executive Dr Donovan Wearing applauds this research paper.
" The findings in this paper mirror exactly what our beliefs are, that the primary industry needs to future proof itself."
The paper reiterates that New Zealand needs to make sure it has the future capabilities to ensure that the primary industry continues to be the backbone of our economy.
"We know there is a skills shortage in the agricultural industry and we've known for some time that we need to be smarter about how to attract and retain qualified, passionate and inspirational workers to the industry."
The research paper states that it is increasingly important for primary sector workers to have some form of post-school qualification. In 2012 it was estimated that 44 per cent of workers had formal post-school qualification, it is expected that by 2025 this will need to increase to 62 per cent.
"Taratahi spends a lot of time in schools and career expos encouraging our youth to continue to train once they leave school, whatever career pathway they choose to explore. We go to a lot of effort to explain to these students that the range of roles within the agricultural industry is vast, that the industry is always developing and that employers expect workers to have formal qualifications now. In their parent's and grandparent's day, the need for formal qualifications was not as essential, but now roles that traditionally did not need any qualifications do.
"MPI's research paper is a great piece of work and I encourage anyone with an interest in the primary industries to have a read, it provides invaluable insights into where we are at now and where we need to be in the future," says Dr Wearing.
"To that end Taratahi is continuously looking for opportunities in which they can provide training programmes for New Zealanders. We need to ensure that we are creating a high performing agricultural workforce. "
"Most recently we have created new opportunities to expand our teaching reach, the first with the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) in Southland."
From September 2014 Taratahi will deliver the Level 2 National Certificate in Agriculture (General Skills) and a STAR programme will be offered to secondary schools through SIT's flexible distance learning unit SIT2LRN. It is expected that in 2015 another programme, the Level 3 National Certificate in Farming Skills (Work Ready) will also be available to Southlanders.
SIT chief executive Penny Simmonds believes this new partnership will enhance existing connections they have with other training organisations.
"This new partnership is another positive step towards providing the people of Southland with even more training opportunities in the agricultural sector. Taratahi has been training New Zealanders in the agricultural industry for 95 years and their philosophy of 'real training on real farms' brings a unique element to the students learning experience," says Penny.
The second initiative will see Taratahi delivering agricultural programmes in the Auckland region, delivering from Unitec's Mt Albert campus.
"Taratahi's point of difference in the agricultural training industry is our 'real training on real farms' philosophy. Our training programmes are predominantly practical on-farm, backed up by theory work," says Dr Wearing.
The addition of SIT and Unitec now bring Taratahi's delivery of agricultural training to nine centres around New Zealand. From Whangarei, Rodney, Auckland, Waikato/Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Manawatu, Hawke's Bay, Wairarapa to Southland.
" These new partnerships certainly help us to support our vision, to create a highly skilled workforce and to do everything we can to address the skills shortage the agricultural sector is facing, " says Dr Wearing.