CROSS BORDER COOPERATION BENEFITS OLIVE INDUSTRY
The Barkworth Group, a major olive grove with some 183,000 trees planted at their property at Keetah via Yelarbon on the Queensland, New South Wales border, has recently signed on 12 trainees in the Certificate II in Horticulture. Because the property is a stone's throw on the New South Wales side of the border, Queensland New Apprenticeships Centres (NACs) were obliged to defer to a NSW NAC even though it is physically located considerably further away from the employer and trainees. The NAC involved in the sign up of the trainees was Employment National at Tamworth.
User Choice for Training Delivery
However, under the user choice arrangements for delivering training, the Registered Training Organisation (RTO) chosen by Barkworth is the Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE (SQIT) through its nearby Applethorpe Campus (near Stanthorpe). The training agreement and funding was processed through NSW while SQIT will receive full funding from the Queensland Training Authority for all 12 trainees including assistance for course set up and learning resources.
SQIT are also working with other employers in the olive industry and in other rural industry sectors, such as cotton growing, to ensure that growers are aware of the benefits of the New Apprenticeship system of delivering vocational education and training. All training is delivered under the nationally accredited Agriculture and Horticulture Training Packages.
Employer Subsidies and Incentives
Because The Barkworth Group ensured that the trainees were signed up within the relevant time period and met other specified requirements they were entitled to receive the full Commonwealth Government subsidy for each trainee depending on the circumstances of the individual trainee. (Employers can obtain the details of subsidies and incentives from New Apprenticeships Centres).
Additionally, since the trainees were all eligible, SQIT will receive a full State Government subsidy for each trainee, which allowed it to deliver the training at no cost to the employer.
Outcomes for the Trainees
By agreeing to participate in the New Apprenticeship at the Certificate II level in Horticulture, all trainees who successfully complete the training will receive a nationally recognised qualification in a rapidly growing industry sector. SQIT expect that a number of the trainees will go on to pursue a Certificate III level qualification as their skill and knowledge grows. This higher qualification will further enhance their employability and will open up many more career opportunities for the trainees.
Update (March 2003)
SQIT have had great success with the training arrangements put in place with The Barkworth Group. The trainees have been interested and keen to learn and, as expected, all 12 undertaking the Certificate II in Horticulture will progress to a Certificate III. Ten trainees have already rolled over to Certificate III while the other two will achieve this step by the end of March 2003. A further two trainees have commenced at level II.
A number of the trainees have also supplemented the training they have received by completing short courses such as Agricultural Chemical Accreditation through ChemCert and Chainsaws and Brush cutters