IT is arguably the biggest problem in agriculture.
And farmers and machinery dealers have been grappling with it for more than a decade.
The subject is skilled labour – specifically a serious shortage of qualified trained agricultural technicians – and the problem is being quickly magnified by the rapid pace of technology changes in the industry.
Governments and educators have been tardy on the subject – particularly relating to precision agriculture – effectively slowing the industry’s capability of increasing its share of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.
But one company is moving around the proverbial rock in the middle of the road.
Last week, John Deere dealership group AFGRI Equipment Australia held a recruitment day to employ 25 people as part of its drive to increase staff levels to match its growth strategy.
And its message was loud and clear: career opportunities exist in the farm mechanisation industry.
With an annual apprenticeship intake program already in place, called the AFGRI Apprentice Academy, AFGRI has liaised with Central Regional TAFE Moora to be part of the company’s specialised training program.
This year 24 AFGRI academy apprentices from its 14 branches attended the TAFE Moora campus of CY O’Connor Institute, embarking on a Certificate III in Agriculture which also involves four units specific to John Deere equipment.
Students will complete 24 units over a four-year period at Moora while also being enrolled in John Deere University online training and hands-on training at the particular AFGRI branch at which they are employed.
AFGRI also has inaugurated its Parts Interpreter Traineeships with a 2019 intake of five applicants.
The traineeship is the nationally-recognised two year TAFE Certificate III course and will involve on-the-job training and internal training at the academy.
AFGRI operations director Gollie Coetzee said the company had introduced the apprentice training program in 2017 and had 50 apprentices within the company.
“Our goal is to have 80 and hopefully we can maintain that figure as apprentices go through their training and become full-time employees with us,” Mr Coetzee said.
“It’s part of our growth strategy because in the future we’re going to need more qualified people to service our customers.
“People won’t magically appear which is why we are spending a lot of resources on training and promoting careers within our company.
“We want young people to stay with us and become part of our succession plan.
“I say to them we have the economy of scale with 14 branches, so there are a lot of opportunities to aspire to managerial positions.
“It could be branch manager, service manager, parts manager, sales manager, office manager, etc.”
Mr Coetzee is intent on destroying the myth of a faceless, corporate giant (AFGRI is the largest John Deere dealership in the southern hemisphere with 31 branches in five African countries and 14 in WA).
“We have said from the start that we want to work with communities and draw our employees from within their ranks,” he said.
“We are well equipped to encourage the youth to stay in the bush with a good and rewarding job.
“Right now, 69 of our 300-strong employees are younger than 23 and that’s the foundation of our succession planning.”
AFGRI Equipment Australia was established in 2004 when the company bought John Deere dealership, T H Walton Stores Carnamah, Geraldton and Moora.
After 10 years of growing and consolidating the business, the company expanded by acquiring John Deere dealership Jolly & Sons, adding Dalwallinu and Wongan Hills to its stable.
In 2016 it successfully completed the acquisition of fellow John Deere dealership Greenline Ag, to increase its WA network to 11 dealerships, adding Perth, Pingelly, Wagin, Boyup Brook, Lake Grace and Witchcliffe.
And last year it bought Esperance John Deere dealer Ratten & Slater, with branches at Esperance, Gnowangerup and Albany.
That sale marked the finalisation of an 18-month expansion strategy, which included a new head office in Middle Swan.
Mr Coetzee, said that’s not the end of AFGRI’s aim to continue to grow its business.
“We’re open to growth and we want to keep promoting careers in agriculture,” he said.