Queensland Farmers’ Federation today announced the Queensland Agworkforce Summit to be held virtually from Wednesday 3 – Friday 5 August 2022.
The Summit aims to bring together Queensland agribusinesses to discuss workforce issues and strategies to ensure they have a sustainable workforce over the next five years.
“Queensland Farmers’ Federation and the Rural Jobs and Skills Alliance are delighted to partner with Jobs Queensland and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries to deliver this summit which is a first for the agriculture sector.” said QFF’s CEO, Jo Sheppard.
“The future growth of the Queensland agriculture sector and the ability to seize new market opportunities are dependent in a highly trained and skilled workforce.”
“Given the importance of this Summit, we want to make sure our sector has the opportunity to get involved and have the dates firmly locked in the diary. Registrations for the Summit open on 3 May.”
Jobs Queensland’s Anticipating Future Skills suggests an additional 8,788 people will be needed to support Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing in Queensland by 2025.
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner said the Agriculture Workforce Summit was an excellent opportunity for industry to showcase recent successes in addressing workforce shortages, and plan for the sector’s future prosperity.
“The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted a skilled and high performing workforce was key to the agriculture sector’s economic growth and recovery, however Queensland agribusinesses continue to face a number of challenges to access the required workforce in some areas,” Mr Furner said.
“The Queensland Government has a proven track record of supporting the State’s agricultural industry’s efforts to attract, develop and retain skilled workers and seasonal labour.
“Since the Rural Jobs Initiatives was established in 2015, the government has invested more than $6 million to support workforce development initiatives of the Rural Jobs and Skills Alliance (RJSA) and the Queensland Agriculture Workforce Network (QAWN).”
Minister for Training and Skills Development Di Farmer recently announced the new VET Emerging Industries initiative, as part of the $200 million Future Skills Fund, designed to ensure the state has the skilled workers it needs.
“The VET Emerging Industries initiative will develop flexible industry strategies to grow the state’s agribusiness, energy, manufacturing, and screen and digital sectors,” Minister Farmer said.
“Agribusiness is key to our plans for workforce development and economic recovery. The Queensland Farmers’ Federation already provide valuable input on training and workforce development through our Industry Skills Advisors and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries manage our Agribusiness Gateway to Industry Schools program as well.
“We’re investing in training and skills and aligning our priorities through our Queensland Agriculture and Food Research, Development and Extension 10-Year Roadmap and Action Plan, and recently announced a further $5 million Agribusiness Strategy, consisting of an Agriculture Skills Fund; a TAFE Agricultural, Rural and Regional Strategy; and a Beef Processing Skills Fund. So, we look forward to discussing our current activities, future plans and emerging needs with a range of stakeholders at the Summit.”
The Queensland Agworkforce Summit is the first of its kind as is designed specifically for the challenges of modern agribusiness, focussing on the key issues facing the sector concerning attracting, retaining and skilling the agriculture workforce. The Summit will also focus on adaptability.
“One thing we have learned since the beginning of the pandemic is we need to increase our capability to adapt as part of our business sustainability planning.” said Ms Sheppard.
“The impact of the pandemic these past couple of years particularly on our workforce has highlighted a couple of areas where the sector is vulnerable. Workforce was one and housing availability in rural and regional Queensland to support this workforce was another.”
To attract as many participants as possible, the entire program will be held online over 3 days, with a range of topics discussed and plenty of opportunities to network and contribute to the discussions.
The Summit will also feature a presentation about the five-year Workforce Plan for the state’s agriculture sector, including the consultation process and results.
The Plan will respond to the major issues experienced by the industry while anticipating future workforce demand. Participants at the Summit will be asked for input to guide implementation of the plan.
The Queensland Agworkforce Summit 2022 will be help on 3 – 5 August 2022 and registrations open on 3 May. You can find out more at https://www.qldagworkforce.org.au/
ENDS
Media Contact:
Laura Bos, Media and Communications Manager, QFF. M: 0417 615 463