The Agriculture Industry Skills Plan unveiled today would place Tasmania in the right position to provide the increasingly specialised workforce required for the state to play its role in world food security, Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association chief executive Jan Davis said today.

The TFGA developed the skills plan with funding from Skills Tasmania. The plan sets down the priorities to address projected labour supply and skills shortages in agriculture, to enable agricultural businesses to obtain the supply of skills required to meet their business objectives.

The plan reflects the diversity of occupations and careers associated with the industry including: production (on-farm); processing (beyond the farm gate); natural resource management; marketing; research, development and extension; and governance and policy.

“The days of a farmer being a jack-of-all-trades and master of none are gone,” Ms Davis said.

“Modern farming is specialised, certainly in terms of the crops and commodities that we produce. It also applies to the research we require before we embark on production, the management of our businesses, the accounting within those businesses and the advocacy and representation that farmers and agribusinesses should expect.

“These days, agriculture involves many more people than just the farmer. Modern farming has to reflect the technological advances available globally. Skills training and workforce planning are essential if we are to be at the leading edge of food and fibre production,” Ms Davis said.

Ms Davis said agriculture would always be one of Tasmania’s key economic drivers because of its climatic advantages, its topography and the work ethic of its people.

“Producing food and fibre is the most basic human requirement,” she said, “and this flows into such areas as marketing, packaging, value-added processing, research, extension activities, mechanics and building, logistics, and transport and distribution.

“New career paths are opening up in the industry all the time, including in the areas of land management and conservation, climate change, irrigation and water management, and biosecurity.
“The TFGA is pleased to present this Skills Plan as a framework to set priorities in skills and workforce development into the future,” Ms Davis said.
Jan Davis http://www.tfga.com.au/