Those jobs are in horticulture, dairy, viticulture, deep sea fishing, shearing, apiculture and meat processing, and are part of the Government’s goal of getting 10,000 people to work in the sector over the next four years.
The Ministry for Primary Industries’ (MPI) director of investment, skills and performance Cheyne Gillooly says 1289 people have found work as a result of promotional campaigns, training courses and connections through the Government’s regional liaison service.
The actual number employed is likely to be higher, he says, as it excludes successful job hunters who have been referred to employers or recruitment sites through the Opportunity Grows Here campaign.
Last year the Government set aside $19 million to attract and train 10,000 people into the food and fibre sectors, and Gillooly says the money has been spent on familiarisation courses, including partnerships at Telford in Balclutha and Taratahi in the Wairarapa, with courses focused on apiculture, agricultural contracting, and dairy farming, which was supported by DairyNZ.
“We’re also supporting industry-run taster courses that allow people to experience different areas of the food and fibres sector,” Gillooly said.
“Examples include supporting winter pruning courses run by New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated and GoDairy, run by DairyNZ.”
Targeted industry campaigns for seafood and wine are underway, along with recruitment ahead of the apple and kiwifruit harvest.
Gillooly says additional courses the Government could support are under consideration.
“These campaigns cover many regions and use targeted regional media channels like outdoor advertising, billboards and street posters in relevant regions, and radio, as well as online advertising and spreading the word through our partnerships, for example with Student Job Search,” he said.
A regional workforce skills liaison service has been formed to support the redeployment of people into food and fibre sector jobs by working with agencies such as the Ministry of Social Development.
A pan-sector working group has also been established to develop a food and fibre sector skills and employment dataset. This will assist with planning for training and employment needs.
Gillooly says MPI is happy with how the programme is progressing.
“We’re pleased that New Zealanders are seeing the food and fibres sector as a viable option for employment,” he said.
“There is no shortage of work in the sector, and we’re working closely with industry to identify their needs and provide support and funding wherever possible.”
Primary industry training accounts for 18% of the Government’s Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF), according to the deputy chief executive of delivery for the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) Gillian Dudgeon.
The programme, part of the Government’s response to the covid-19 pandemic, covers the cost of apprenticeships, industry training outside apprenticeships and level three to seven sub-degree courses in targeted industries.
It runs from July 1, 2020 to December 31, 2022.
The primary industry is one of those targeted sectors supporting more than 50 qualifications in agriculture, horticulture and viticulture, fisheries and forestry.
Last year about 94,000 learners used the TTAF scheme to support their study, Dudgeon says.
“Primary industries have more than 16,500 learners (18% of total TTAF learners), with construction the most popular TTAF area,” she said.
“Most primary sector TTAF students are undertaking industry training and about a quarter are doing apprenticeships.”
The TEC has started a four-year marketing campaign encouraging more people to consider training for a vocational career of which the primary sector is a key focus.
“Underlying this is the whole reform of vocational education,” she said.
“Two items related to the sector are the recent formation of a primary sector Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE), hosted by Eastern Institute of Technology.
“A key focus of the CoVE is attracting and retaining learners and staff from school to vocational education, to higher learning and into the workforce.
“There is also the consultation at present on Workplace Development Councils (WDCs).
“Once established, WDCs will set a vision for NZ’s workforce, influence the vocational education and training system, and help industry take a lead in making NZ’s workforce fit for today, and the future.
“There is a specific WDC proposed for primary industries.”
