On-farm training vision comes into focus

Janne Dipple describes herself as a woman who wears two hats. With 20 years’ experience working in adult education and training Janne has designed and run training across all kinds of subjects.

Janne’s other ‘hat’ is as a horticultural grower working alongside husband, Brendan running the family farm Bare Essentials.

They’ve grown leafy green vegetables and herbs on their Morton Vale property since 1997, but activity in the paddocks is looking a bit different of late with Janne’s new project Workfit Essentials kicking off at the end of March.

Workfit Essentials sees Janne bringing together her two areas of expertise—adult training and horticulture.

With funding from Workforce Australia Local Jobs, Janne has designed this program to benefit both jobseekers and employers.

Someone seeking a career in horticulture can get a well-rounded training program that includes paid work, official credentials, as well as career guidance and coaching. Meanwhile, prospective employers can see “Workfit Essentials” on a candidate’s résumé and know that person has received comprehensive training and is work-ready.

Importantly, each Workfit Essentials graduate finishes the program armed with what Janne calls a ‘horti-career map’. Based on their experiences and career coaching in the program, participants receive a tailored plan of recommended further training. This also benefits employers to know how to get the most from potential employees.

The program’s first cohort of 17 participants will get the unique experience of receiving 10 weeks of on-farm training in the core production skills of planting, weeding, harvesting, and packing. 

Participants will also learn about specialist skills including crop growing, machinery operations, processing and dispatching orders, groundskeeping, as well as teamwork and leadership.

In addition to the hands-on learning, participants work towards eight competencies Janne has designed and that are delivered through UQ Skills at the university’s Gatton campus.

Liz Ford, the Queensland Agricultural Workforce Network (QAWN) Officer for Southern Queensland has been liaising with Janne as the first cohort progresses.

Growcom—the project delivery arm of the Queensland Fruit and Vegetable Growers—hosts two QAWN officers in Southern and Southeast Queensland.

Liz is keen to get to know the participants and their aspirations so she can match participants with employers that will be the best fit for business and candidate alike.

Janne said although establishing and running the program is a costly exercise, it fills an important gap in training people for a career in horticulture.

“There are a lot of really good training programs out there, but nothing actually teaches a person the actual grit it takes to physically do the job, to understand the diversity and the breadth of the industry, and to be trained in a commercial farming environment,” Janne said.

“This was my big chance to take that knowledge about adult education and creating training and actually putting it here on our own farm and trying to embed it into the everyday operations, which is pretty hard to do.”

It’s a complex task, but the first cohort of participants have enjoyed getting stuck-in to work on the farm. Twenty-three-year-old Toowoomba local Lexy is enjoying her experience of horticulture so far.

The physical nature of the work hasn’t bothered her, having already done planting, weeding, and picking. Lexy loves being outdoors and getting to know the people she’s working alongside.

Meanwhile Gary has traded in a 20-year hospitality career on Daydream Island to learn about horticulture with the goal of running a flower farm with his sister. The 49-year-old said he’s sure his sister would have him doing the “hard yakka” when they have a farm of their own.

The first cohort of Workfit Essentials participants will graduate in early June, with a new intake scheduled to commence in July. If you’re interested in meeting a Workfit Essentials candidate for work on your farm, get in touch with Janne at office@bareessentials.com.au or visit: www.bareessentials.com.au/workfit-essentials/ to find out more.