LAST week five shearers graduated from the second improver shearing school jointly funded by Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) and Department of Primary industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), with support from the WA Shearing Industry Association (WASIA).
The five improver graduates where Terry Narrier, Moora, Glenn Taylor, Narrogin, Wade Hodder, Narrogin, Julian Mippy, Moora and Stephen McCarthy, Nungarin, who had all gained employment with shearing contractors after completing one of the joint AWI/DPIRD learner and novice shearing schools held last year.
The five who attended the week-long improvers school, held in the shearing shed at Emanuel's Peel feedlot using sheep destined for live export, were sent by their employers to further improve their shearing skills and speed.
AWI wool handling and shearer trainers Amanda Davis and Kevin Gellatly ran the school, with former shearer and Heiniger territory manager Todd Wegner teaching them how to correctly grind their cutters and combs.
DPIRD principal business development officer Ashley Talbot said the graduates, who were all Aboriginal, came together, having never met before, and worked together as a team to shear 700 sheep over the five days.
"The feedback from contractors was that they don't provide learner stands until a novice has the necessary experience and expertise to meet industry requirements," Mr Talbot said.
"The purpose of the novice school is that it's an introductory course, whereas the shearing improver course is designed to train them to get their numbers up to at least 20 per run.
"That gets them to the minimum benchmark of 80-100 sheep a day, which puts them in the best position to secure a learner stand when they go back to their contractor."
While a couple of the attendees had been on a leaner stand already, now all of them will go back to their contractor in a really good position.
A highlight of the improvers school was a visit by shearer Lou Brown, who set the world eight-hour Merino ewe shearing record at 497 in 2019, becoming the first shearer to set a record shearing at quicker than one adult sheep a minute in doing so.
The first shearer improver school was held in November, 2020, shortly after AWI and DPIRD had started jointly funding learner and novice schools to take advantage of the employment opportunities for learner shearers presented by the shearer shortage due to COVID-19 border closures.
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