Ag Challenge set to drive next generation farmers

Ag Challenge, the home of the Next Generation of agricultural qualifications.

Ag Challenge is in the front seat in the drive to deliver a new set of internationally-recognised agricultural qualifications.

Last year the Whanganui-based private training enterprise began rolling out an exciting new suite of qualifications in agriculture as a direct result of a NZQA-led Targeted Review of Qualifications or TRoQ.

This included extensive industry consultation with the agriculture sector at large to advise on new and updated qualifications for the agriculture industry, starting at level two on the National Qualifications Framework. All previous national certificates or diplomas are being replaced by New Zealand certificates and New Zealand diplomas and phased out over the next couple of years.

The exercise is all about the quality assurance New Zealand can give the rest of the world in regard to our agricultural education standards.

It is not too dissimilar to the quality and traceability assurances developed by the New Zealand meat industry in response to a global demand for healthy, nutritious product processed from paddock to plate in an environmentally sustainable and animal friendly manner.

The same respect given those assurances are now also being given to graduates of our agricultural courses developed in conjunction with the very levy payers who will ultimately employ them on home shores.

Michelle Colson from Ag Challenge marketing said many private providers had struggled with the introduction of the new qualifications.

"We struggled a bit at the beginning too, but we were at the forefront and we are now well up with the play," she said.

Ag Challenge has branded the new suite the Next Generation of programmes.

"These new NZ certificates started in earnest for Ag Challenge with the first programme in a suite, the Next Generation - Farming Skills Level 2.

"This programme of study set the foundation for all future programmes and allows people completely new to the agriculture industry to gain basic skills that lead onto four different pathways."

Generation - Farming Skills level 2 is a 40 credit programme focusing on practical production tasks and includes a compulsory module on health and safety, with aspects of this topic embedded in all modules delivered. In the agriculture industry health and safety is the flavour of the times."

Michelle Colson said they wanted the next generation of agricultural workers to be safe at work and understand what their requirements are as an employee and what industry sees as best practice, with Worksafe in conjunction with the industry sector having invested time and resources in this area.