A common element to a successful business is the ability to train and support its employees.
And according to Queensland Agricultural Workforce Network’s (QAWN) Karen George, who is based in southern Queensland as QAWN officer, agricultural employers find it difficult to find a work force that includes employees with a broad skill set.
She said there are seven QAWN employees throughout Queensland who are working with agricultural business to connect to training and employment businesses and solutions.
“We aim to align industry needs with appropriate government and private sector services to optimise the Queensland agricultural sector’s capacity to attract, retain and increase the skills of the workforce,” Ms George said.
“Take Koala Farms as an example, approximately 25 per cent of their workforce is Australian full time equivalents, and the balance are seasonal workers for general farm labour.
“The full time workers then oversee the casual workers.
“Their role involves quality assurance, direction, and management, and Koala Farms invests in training its full time employees to be able to manage and lead effectively.”
The casual workforce in horticulture is predominately backpackers, and while some are Australian, there are also many from other countries. Their work is seasonal and it often supplements their holiday activities.
“Anthony Staatz of Koala Farmers said on the record that he is in the business of ‘growing people’, and his statement highlights how important and constant the role of people management and leadership is to our industry,” Ms George said.
Ms George uses her QAWN network to find solutions to individual businesses on industry training and employment issues.
“When in business it can be difficult to find where to source information such as funding, training and incentives, and my role is to link these employers to service providers and work with individuals to find solutions to the issues,” she said.
“I also provide feedback to government about industry’s key workforce issues.”