Agricultural groups are lauding a Hamilton secondary school that’s looking to combat the decline in New Zealand’s skilled workforce.
St Paul’s Collegiate School is planning to establish a Centre of Excellence for Agricultural Science and Business by 2014.
Despite its significance to New Zealand’s economy, the sector is crying out for qualified workers – with DairyNZ predicting a shortfall of thousands by 2016.
"We've done modelling on workforce requirements, and over a 30-year time-frame, our best estimates are that we need about 1000 people at a diploma level or above graduating each year to address the shortfall that we anticipate just on the on-farm side of it," said Dr Mark Paine, strategy and investment leader for people and businesses at DairyNZ.
According to official figures from the organisation, which represents the country’s dairy farmers, an average of 3380 people per year would need to be trained in agriculture between 2009 and 2016 to meet industry growth projections.
The agricultural and forestry industries also feature on the Department of Labour’s immediate skills shortage list.
Assistant headmaster at St Paul’s Peter Hampton said feedback about the shortage from leaders in the industry, combined with St Paul’s history of attracting students from farming families, were key reasons for establishing the centre.
The estimated $1 million project includes a state-of-the-art classroom and a bus for school trips.
An advisory group with members from the University of Waikato, DairyNZ and AgResearch, among others, will help establish the direction of the centre and provide partnerships.
Mr Paine said New Zealand needed more initiatives like that from St Paul’s, and it was sending a positive signal to the education sector.
"We've been looking at initiatives that provide a better link between secondary schools and the industry to tempt the right calibre of person into the industry."
Mr Paine said DairyNZ employed more than 100 people in Hamilton and the company could offer mentoring, support and teaching to the programme.
Professor of Agribusiness at Waikato Management School Jacqueline Rowarth said the current shortage in the sector could be attributed to the fact it had been treated as a sunset industry for years, and it was still struggling to shake the "dirty dairying" image.
"Agribusiness is core to the region. The more people who understand the importance of it, the better," she said.
Another stakeholder, AgResearch chief executive Dr Tom Richardson, said it was important the best and brightest New Zealanders were given a glimpse of opportunities in the agricultural sector.
"Far too many kids go through secondary school and university without considering it seriously for a career."
He said AgResearch felt very strongly about "growing our own" talent and the research centre would need to attract hundreds of scientists over the next five years. Already roughly half were recruited internationally.
