Addressing farm sector workforce capacity:

Evidence from research and education

Dr Ruth Nettle, Mr Peter McSweeney

Rural Innovation Research Group Melbourne School of Land and Environment

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Evidence-base Research:

Farm employment relationships and HRM

Evaluation of interventions to attract, retain and develop people in farming

Retention of people in farming – what is working and why?

Workforce planning and action (regional process, collective action)

Education:

Trends in VET and tertiary agricultural education

Training current and future farmers and service providers

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Attracting and retaining young people in farming requires:

1. Farming to be attractive as a workplace, career and business.

2. Farm businesses to provide good experiences of work and career pathways.

3. Farming industries to invest themselves in workforce planning and action.

4. Regional capacity to plan and act in farm workforce capacity.

5. Regional partnerships between government, industry, training bodies and communities.

6. A greater understanding of the system by which young farmers are actually attracted, developed and retained.

7. Attention to be given to the education system for the professionalization of farming and services to farming.

Where is the public investment needed? 3

1. What’s attractive? What retains people in farming work or desire

business ownership?

Recent research:

Survey of 32 dairy farm employees;

Interviews with 14 employees and 2 leasee/sharefarmers on farms with a “reputation for retaining staff”.

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Dairy farm employees were attracted and retained when they were promised with and experienced:

Higher than the average pay rates in industry for their role

Flexible work hours Limited weekend hours and very long shifts Training and development opportunities Feedback and appreciation for a job well-done Individual attention to career development and

mentoring An enjoyable work environment with good facilities Varied work

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-.138

-.356

-.634**

-.511**

-.462*

-.380

-.725**

Autonomy and Growth

Benefits

Rewards and Opportunities

Job Security and Work Responsibilities

Work Facilitation

Intention to leave

Job Satisfaction

Organisational Commitment

Factors in the psychological contract

**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

Figure 2. Pearson correlations of Psychological Contract factors, Job Satisfaction and Organisational Commitment with Intentions to Leave. (Semmelroth, 2011)

Dairy farm employees: Why they stay in their current job

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Farm workforce: not seeking a career but enjoying farm work:

“[I’ve] got a variation in work, always doing something different. I'm not stuck on a line watching cans go past. ...I get to work outside which I love. I get to work with animals which I love and ...the dogs can come to work...I probably never will in my lifetime beat the pay of a wool classer or in the food factory. But ...I'm in a much happier place to work. I've got - fantastic pay compared to what a lot of farm workers are on” [Rebecca, farm hand, Case farm 7] (Nettle, et al 2011)

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What future farmers want: “That's the way you've got to start out in [dairy]...

I'm 25 - getting your boss to give ....five heifer calves a year or 10 heifer calves a year - you're working for something. ...It's important having employers that really want to see you achieve something I suppose ... some people will never give you that opportunity”. [Sam, senior farm hand, case study 2]

“Our long-term ambition is to get onto the share farm of our own which [Chris the owner] already knows. He’s happy just to have us here getting the experience. I need the experience before I can take that step”. [Frank, senior farm hand, case study 1]

(Nettle, et al 2011)

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Employer roles in stepping stones to business ownership… “He was willing to learn....because of our

development he’s [the manager] been able to develop with us. ....we bought the other farm ...he was ready to make a move and that gave him an opportunity to then have a bigger role...in two year’s time, he can take on a share farming role [here]. He does own some of the cows in the herd now” [Harry and Barbara, case study 6] (Nettle, et al 2011)

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2. Different organizations play a role in farm sector workforce capacity (collaborative action necessary/regional level)

Workforce system approach (attracting, retaining, developing is inter-related)

Workforce planning and action at a regional level needed (industry, community, government sector partnerships)

Employers and jobs play a key role (not just training providers, schools and careers)

Service sector/role of tertiary education

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Workforce planning and action (industry/region)

(Nettle and Oliver, 2008)

Project components Regional planning level

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Demand for staff now and for the coming season from responding farmers (Eastwood and Nettle, 2010) :

0 4 8 12

Farm mgr

Prod mgr

Supervisor

Farm hand

Assist hand

Other

Q9. When and who will you be recruiting?

Recruiting now (n=6)

Recruiting 2010/11 (n=15)

Murray Irrigation dairy region – snapshot for workforce planning

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Partners

$

Dairy Australia

NCDEA/ TAFE

Brotherhood of St

Lawrence

Job Services WestVic staffing

solutions

$$$

Victoria Works

$$

Helen Macpherson Smith Trust

Management:

WestVic Dairy

In2Dairy Project

Partners

Dairy Industry

Other

Government

Local groups: Pathway support -placement

Evaluation Uni Melb

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3. Agricultural Education - Trends Impacting Workforce Capacity Higher Education Decline in agriculture graduates Gap between graduate supply and demand Inadequate pathways from VET to Higher Ed Vocational Education and Training Mixed training package uptake Lack of progression into higher levels Vocational style degrees?? Issues Improving the underlying attractiveness of agriculture Incentives to study in HE / VET agriculture Progression to higher study levels

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0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

Higher Education Sector - Student Load (full time equivalent) in Narrow Fields of Study - Australia

2004

2009

15

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

No

of s

tude

nts

Vocational Education and Training Sector - Students in Selected Training Packages (Victoria)

Cert II in Ag RTE20103

Cert III in Ag RTE30103

Cert IV in Ag RTE40103

Diploma of Ag RTE50103

Adv Diploma of Ag RTE60103

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Conclusion: Future Farmers strategy: public investment in farm-sector workforce innovation

Industry/sectors Encourage industry/sector ownership of their workforce capacity.

co-investment in priority action areas;

improved data capturing so farming industries can track pathways in, through and out of farming

joint industry-government pilot projects in priority regions

Identify and support leading farm businesses that already provide attractive work and career options as “Career stepping stone mentors” (establish pilot program)

Work with the farming sector to: Develop case studies of what is possible in pathways to farm business ownership.

Support a number of leading farmers in providing development pathways in their business. Matched to high potential candidates

Support the identification and trialling of innovative models of farm business ownership pathways, particularly to address mid-range steps between asset accumulation and farm business ownership. 17

Conclusion: Future Farmers strategy: public investment in farm-sector workforce innovation

Regions Develop capacity for regional farm workforce planning and action across

government services, industry and community (e.g pilot 2-3 regional platforms for workforce development that engages actively with the farming sector with identified high priority needs). Explore cross-sector synergy in work-force needs.

Research and education Mapping of workforce development needs and associated professional

development provision across regions and sectors.

Research into the area of farm workforce development and planning.

Financial incentives to encourage uptake of undergraduate and professional/postgraduate level studies.

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