fbpx
Print this page
Friday, 10 August 2018 09:55

Grower apprenticeships ‘good news’

Written by 
Hort leaders (from left) Horticulture NZ chairman Julian Raine, Primary ITO chief executive Linda Sissons, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and NZ Avocado chief Jen Scoular representing the Horticulture Capability Group, cut the cake at the official launch of a new horticulture apprenticeship scheme. Hort leaders (from left) Horticulture NZ chairman Julian Raine, Primary ITO chief executive Linda Sissons, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and NZ Avocado chief Jen Scoular representing the Horticulture Capability Group, cut the cake at the official launch of a new horticulture apprenticeship scheme.

Agriculture minister Damien O’Connor says horticulture offers a pathway to a better future for thousands of Kiwis.

The industry predicts it will need 25,000 more workers and the news of 100 new horticultural apprenticeships is “a start,” the minister says.

Horticulture offers opportunities to make money and add hugely to New Zealand’s growth, said O’Connor. But he added that the sector struggles with staffing, especially in management.

“But we haven’t been able to get that message through to them. And 25,000 people projected to be needed is a positive challenge for us in an industry of growth.”

O’Connor said this at the launch of the NZ Apprenticeship in Horticultural Production, held alongside the recent Horticulture NZ annual conference in Christchurch.

O’Connor says the apprenticeships are for people who can see a pathway into management positions.

“We have to address that issue of how to incentivise them,” he said. “If we can tell them ‘at the end of your apprenticeship you will get $10 an hour more, or you will end up with a good salary’ – then you will see Kiwis clamouring to get into this scheme.”

O’Connor also promised a shake-up of the whole tertiary education sector.

“I think TEC (Tertiary Education Commission) needs a shakeup. And I am committed to that,” he told the conference. 

The new horticulture apprenticeships are being offered by Primary ITO with the support of employers and off-the-job training institutes.

“This three-way support system enables [apprentices] to achieve success and quite literally become the leaders of the future,” Primary ITO chief executive Linda Sissons said at the launch.

“By working with industry, the Primary ITO is ensuring the... apprentices will enter environments that will support their training, and the employers will get the support that they need.”

Sissons says the apprenticeships will be flexible and will suit a range of businesses, and will create a national standard and expectations of each graduate’s competence.

Details of the scheme are at www.letsgrow.co.nz

More like this

Feds support live animal exports

Federated Farmers have reiterated their support for the coalition Government to abolish the present ban on the live export of animals.

Live exports battle

As the coalition Government mulls new regulations to reinstate the export of live animals, debate is heating up between supporters and opponents.

Crazy

OPINION: Your canine crusader was truly impressed by the almost unanimous support given by politicians of all stripes in Parliament to the recent passing of legislation for the NZ/EU free trade deal.

Not popular

OPINION: This old mutt hears that his editor has copped a fair bit of flak from readers after an article on former Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor appeared in the last issue of this fine organ.

Featured

Australia develops first local mRNA FMD vaccine

Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

National

Machinery & Products

Tech might take time

Agritech Unleashed – a one-day event held recently at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton – focused on technology as an ‘enabler’…

John Deere acquires GUSS Automation

John Deere has announced the full acquisition of GUSS Automation, LLC, a globally recognised leader in supervised high-value crop autonomy,…

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards,…