Guest Blog- Arthur Blewitt, CEO Agrifood Skills Australia

Despite the doom and gloom that is so often reported by the media – droughts, floods, food security and bush blues – Australia’s agrifood industry has a lot of positive stories to tell. It is a dynamic, innovative and cutting-edge field with exciting career pathways and lifestyle opportunities, contributes significantly to the Australian economy and helps to feed a rapidly growing world population.

Increasingly, employers are demanding higher level skills of their workers, relying on VET and tertiary qualifications in science and agriculture for sectors ranging from food processing and quality assurance, to crop and cattle management, through to aquaculture. It’s about utilising the technology available – GPS, computers, lab equipment and data collectors – and developing new innovations that help boost productivity and workplace efficiency.

AgriFood Skills Australia works with government, industry associations, enterprises and training providers to promote the importance of skill and workforce development to the viability of the industry. It is clear the industry faces some serious challenges in the years to come, but also some exciting opportunities, and improved workforce skills will be key to optimising these.

The agrifood industry needs to counter the negative with the positive, good news stories to the public if it is to ensure sustainable labour and productivity growth, and employers have a crucial role to play. In the competition for skilled labour, employers must design attractive jobs that encompass these key elements, that provide career pathways for employees and that promote and foster professional development; in essence, become ‘employers of choice’.

The consequences are serious if the industry does not stand up now, and AgriFood is well-positioned as a change agent to help enterprises adapt and to overcome the challenges, and to ensure the training system delivers skilled and job-ready workers in line with the contemporary needs of the agrifood industry.