AGRICULTURE machinery dealers across Australia hope to sow seeds of interest among career advisers and students to cultivate a better understanding of the diversity of career options their industry offers.
Locally, the Farm Machinery & Industry Association of WA (FM&IA WA) has joined the national push to raise awareness of career pathways for young people in agriculture and specifically the agricultural machinery industry - from helping develop new machines and technologies with manufacturers to sale, servicing and repair of existing machines with dealerships.
These career pathways include areas of endeavour covering analysis, business administration, chemistry, electronics, environment, data recording and interpretation, drone technologies, finance, human resources, materials handling, mechanics, production processes, robotics, new and used sales, spare parts interpreting and stock control to name a few.
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FM&IA WA executive officer John Henchy is hoping career advisers, particularly those working at regional secondary colleges, would be interested in expanding knowledge of career options available in agriculture and agricultural machinery and would contact him to find out more.
Surveys conducted last year for the AgriFutures' Community Perceptions and Worker Experiences Program, under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), revealed any branch of agriculture has a lot of work ahead of it to attract young people.
The survey results showed knowledge and understanding of specific agriculture industry-related jobs is mostly weak and perceptions and understanding of career paths in primary industry roles showed a lack of awareness about diversity of roles, opportunities and support within the industry.
According to the survey results and AgriFutures' findings, only half of the young people looking for a career last year would consider a career in rural industries.
Only 10 per cent would be 'very likely' and only 2pc would be 'extremely likely' to consider a career in rural industries.
But, according to the surveys and AgriFutures, once people do enter the rural industries workforce, they tend to stay for the long-term.
About 34pc of rural industry workers surveyed indicated they were 'very likely' and 43pc indicated they were 'extremely likely' to remain in the industry.
In response to the survey results, the Tractor and Machinery Association (TMA) of Australia has launched a 'raising awareness' campaign targeting school students, their parents, teachers and career advisers to alert them to the opportunities and career pathways in agricultural machinery.
It is considering producing some short videos showing young people working in the agriculture industry, which it hopes will reach the targeted audience via digital channels and encourage them to consult the careerharvest.com.au website.
The Career Harvest website, a collaboration between the Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia, Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture and DAFF, details the range of career paths, scholarships and other assistance available.
Locally, the FM&IA WA has taken the raising awareness campaign to another level with a direct appeal to vocational advises to contact Mr Henchy for information and assistance in helping convey the agriculture careers message to students.
"The big challenge we have is getting the schools even interested (in the industry opportunities) from their career advisery perspective - it's difficult," Mr Henchy said.
"When parents particularly and schools say to young people about to leave school 'why don't you get into agriculture' the answer is generally 'but I don't want to work on a farm'.
"Even students from rural areas who grow up in the towns largely have the impression a career in agriculture is a sort of combination of machinery operator and manual labourer and working with machinery is being covered in grease and oil as a mechanic.
"No one has explained to them that there are tremendous, interesting and challenging careers in agriculture and they general don't realise it's the biggest industry in the world because people have to eat.
"Governments keeps talking about the STEM subjects - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - as the future, and our industry is the classic when you look at precision agriculture, it involves all of the STEM subjects."
Mr Henchy acknowledged the involvement in WA in recent years of major machinery dealerships AFGRI Equipment Australia and McIntosh & Son in attracting school leavers into the industry and training them to the recognised standards their businesses require at their own training academies.
"They have done a fantastic job in contacting the schools and making students aware of the opportunities with them, but what we want to see is more schools on the list," he said.
Mr Henchy said with the State government development of the Agricultural Machinery Training Centre at Muresk Institute near Northam, it was important for people to realise there were other training avenues available.
"There's a lack of understanding of career pathways in agriculture, it is really a case of letting parents, students, teachers, career advisers know that if there is an interest there, let us know and we'll come and talk to you," he said.
More information: Call Mr Henchy on 0431 910 310 or jhenchy@bigpond.com
