By the end of July, as many as 50 new dairy farm labourers, could be set to walk onto Tasmanian farms.
The biggest problem facing the booming dairy industry in Tasmania is a labour shortage, but due to a successful media campaign, the industry is now attracting unprecedented levels of interest from people who are unemployed and live in metropolitan areas.
With this sudden spike in interest from Tasmania’s city dwellers, the Commonwealth Government has partnered with peak body Dairy Tas to introduce a pre-employment course to be run out of the state’s major cities.
Dairy Tas Chief Executive Mark Smith says it’s the first time metropolitan residents will be given the opportunity to take part in a dairy pre-employment course, with dairy introductory courses always held in regional centres until now.
“We need people to work on dairy farms,” he said.
“There have been shortages for years with a lot of farmers looking outside the state for labour.”
Mr Smith believes a combination of high unemployment and a media campaign targeting those in cities looking for work has led to more than 70 cold callers saying they are looking for work and they are willing to move.
“We’ve had interest from Hobart, Launceston and other towns around the place,” he said.
“People who are totally not agricultural or dairy oriented, and they want to have a look at it.
“And around two thirds, to three quarters have said if the job’s there they’ll move for it,” he said.
Mr Smith says when the Federal Government saw the campaign being run to attract metropolitan residents to the dairy industry, it approached him with an offer of help.
The pre-employment courses will be run with the help of $20,000 Commonwealth funding, $10,000 from Dairy Australia and $5,000 from Dairy Tas.
This pre-employment course will be unlike any ever offered in the state.
“What we’re putting together in July prior to the dairy season kicking off are four courses, one in each of the main urban areas,” he said.
“They’ll be four day programs, including one day of farm visits and three days of training.”
Mr Smith says unlike previous accredited pre-employment courses, this is simply to get people from non-agricultural backgrounds aquatinted with the industry, and to give them an on farm experience.
“This is aiming to give them the confidence that yes, they can do that sort of job,” he said.
Source: The Rural