Ag education promotion push aiming to tackle worker shortfall

A recent Adelaide University Agricultural Students Association survey found more than 80 per cent of third-year ag science students had already arranged full time employment, with a term of study remaining.

The Rural Jobs Index run by Rimfire Resources, which has counted monthly permanent job listings in agriculture since 2007, has just recorded its highest quarter on record.

A recent report by academics found there were more than six job opportunities for every ag graduate.

While job availability is a huge positive for ag students, first author and Charles Sturt University agriculture professor Jim Pratley said if agriculture did not want to be compromised by its limited ability to find a suitable workforce, it would need greater industry intervention in education.

That intervention is happening by way of a dedicated promotion push within the agriculture education space in South Australia.

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Third-year ag science student and AUASA president James Easter has been working with the Ag Institute of Australia and the students' association to promote the opportunities available for current and prospective ag students.

He said job security and the ability to work in an ever-expanding range of sectors were key lures for students, with the vast majority of his third-year peers having already secured full time work and in jobs including agronomy, livestock agency and nutrition, agribusiness and finance, agtech roles and horticulture.

Some are heading back to their family farms, while others are doing extra study to take up ag teaching.

"Many students have had dozens of job offers, which makes it hard to pick when you're so spoilt for choice," Mr Easter said.

Mr Easter will work as a graduate agronomist for Elders three days a week next year, while also doing an Honours project.

"It's crazy to see how much opportunity is out there, even compared to other degrees where graduates are finding stop gap jobs while waiting for something to come up," he said.

"In most cases in ag, as soon as exams finish people will be straight into their jobs and careers, and earning decent starting salaries."

Mr Easter said at least third of the associations' students were not from a rural background, which was encouraging for an industry lacking workforce, but there were still anecdotes of high-achieving high school students being encouraged away from agriculture.

University of Adelaide's head of Agriculture, Food and Wine School Professor Jason Able is expecting enrolments to rise in coming years, coinciding with a recent industry boom and growing awareness of the vast career opportunities on offer.

"Enrolments (in agricultural science) have been steady for a couple of years, but prior to that we had seen a big leap," he said.

"Reflecting back on our degree program 10 years ago, we would have had 30 students and now we typically take in 80 first years.

"With the high school student numbers at careers nights and the industry booming, I'd expect another jump in years to come."

An agricultural science degree has historically been a reliable ticket to a job straight out of university, with Prof Able saying 90pc of students typically graduated with full time employment arranged, a success rate contributed to by UoA ag students being required to undertake 450 hours of industry placements.

Leading the ag career promotion charge within secondary education is SA lead agriculture teacher Sue Pratt.

In a position funded by SA Grains Industry Trust, Ms Pratt is aiming to support ag teachers and help more schools deliver high quality ag programs, rather than skirt around the ag requirements in the Australian curriculum.

Attracting more ag teachers to deliver the subject is another piece of the promotion puzzle for Ms Pratt.

She said nine schools were looking for ag teachers in 2023, with only one ag teacher graduating this year.

"Any existing teachers looking to re-train or somebody who's getting toward the end of their tertiary studies will definitely find work," Ms Pratt said.

"It's a fantastic career, but we need to make it more attractive to compete with other interesting opportunities in primary industries."

WHILE massive job availability in agriculture means the world is the oyster of many current and prospective students, it is also causing a shift in the way agribusinesses recruit staff.

Gemma Burger is a consultant for Rimfire Resources, a company conducting agricultural recruitment, search and selection across Australia.

It also runs a graduate recruitment service.

She said the company was "by far and away" experiencing the highest demand for employees it ever had.

"It's one of those perfect storm scenarios where we've come out of drought and lost a lot of people out of the ag sector," Ms Burger said.

"Now we're in a boom environment so we're not only trying to fill new roles, but also making up for what we lost during drought.

"There's not enough people coming into the industry - a long-term problem - and we haven't got as many people to fill unskilled labour roles, which means skilled workers may have to take up those roles at times."

Ms Burger said employers were having to offer more attractive packages to potential employees and consider a wider range of applicants.

"Salaries are on a sharp incline," she said.

"Employers are also having to consider more flexible work arrangements, incentive packages, retention bonuses and things that cater to candidates rather than the other way round.

"The ag sector has traditionally been rather closed to non-ag people and this worker shortage is creating an environment where they have to consider people from non-ag backgrounds."

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