Our recent focus has been on supporting industry to address labour shortages for the harvest of grain and fruit and vegetable crops. Muresk has consulted extensively with industry to develop targeted skill sets for new entrants to the agriculture and horticulture industries and those wishing to secure positions for harvest.
These skill sets are part of the State Government’s $25 million Recovery Skill Sets package being rolled out through both TAFE Colleges and private training providers. The skill sets are FREE for youth, concession students and displaced workers.
To date, Muresk has brokered training across the state from Albany and Esperance to Bunbury and on site at Muresk through these targeted skill sets. Additionally these students were provided with the opportunity to attend an Employment Day coordinated in partnership with Rural Enterprises and Studium. This event provided students with the opportunity to network with potential employers and gain employment.
Another one of our major accomplishments includes our partnership with the Multicultural Services Centre of WA and Central Regional TAFE to customise and deliver entry level agricultural training for humanitarian refugees from Burma, Eritrea and Afghanistan. This potentially life changing opportunity includes employment brokered through the Rural Enterprises’ Harvest Trail initiative.
In other big news! August saw the announcement of Muresk as the home of a new $7.5 million Specialist Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation to train farm machinery technicians in new and emerging technologies, as well as an additional $500,000 funding for a new shearing shed. An industry advisory committee has been established to inform the design and ongoing operations of the Specialist Centre.
And on the farm we head towards harvest, along with many other Wheatbelt producers, lack of follow up Spring rains have reduced projected yields but the market outlook is still promising with commodity prices remaining firm.
To keep up with news as it happens I invite you to like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram and visit our website.
Prue Jenkins
General Manager, Muresk Institute