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NCDEA pilot program success

A joint pilot project between Dairy Australia and the National Centre for Dairy Education Australia (NCDEA) has just been completed with five people graduating from the course on 28th November.

The Diploma in Business (Dairy) has run as a pilot program for the past 12 months with the NCDEA and The People in Dairy Project, through Dairy Australia. The course allows for rolling enrolments, so participants are able to enrol at any time and complete the course over a one or two year period.

The course is aimed at people who are working in the dairy industry or those working directly with farmers as advisors or consultants to prepare them for the questions that farmers may ask in relation to 'people issues' on dairy farms.

On Friday 28th November, 2008, five participants graduated from the pilot delivery of the course at the 2008 ADIC (Australian Dairy Industry Council) Industry Breakfast. The five participants are Cameron Smith, Trevor Westacott, Karen Baum, Frank Tyndall and Gavin McClay.

Trevor Westacott is the General Manager of Timboon Veterinary Group (TVG), a broad-based group of veterinarians and consultants, mainly providing service to the dairy industry. Trevor decided to do the course as he saw a need to assist farm businesses with their people issues.

"Sometimes farm enterprises have a lack of understanding of people issues, which can hold back business," he said. "Some farmers have identified the need to look after people as an integral part of their businesses. However, there are a wide range of issues associated with moving beyond the family farm to employing staff, which can make people apprehensive."

"It is not just industrial relations, there is Workchoice, OHS and tax laws all of which are very complex." Trevor found out about the course through other activities that he was involved in such as Dairy Australia's The People in Dairy project, as a reference group member, and participation in the pilot program, and through contacts he had after a stint in education put him in contact with NCDEA staff.

The course has increased Trevor's knowledge on a wide range of subjects from industrial relations laws, recruitment, remuneration, formalising processes and standardising procedures. He said it has also given participants exposure to Dairy Australia's resources and what people can tap into.

Trevor said "I want to assist people to use the resources available to them through the dairy industry for themselves, their own farms and their own businesses."

Cameron Smith is a dairy industry consultant with clients through northern Victoria and the southern Riverina. He came to the Diploma of Business course through his involvement with The People in Dairy program.

"I had no preconceptions of what the course entailed," he said. "But it will help me to get formally accredited for work that I am already doing. There's always room for continuous improvement in all industries and dairy is no exception.

"This diploma will give me the processes to work with farming families to identify work/life balance and to change what is needed." Cameron will be one of several people facilitating people focus groups for The People in Dairy program starting in May 2009.

For more information contact Virginia Boyd on 1300 NCDEA (62332).

© 2010 NCDEA - an initiative of Dairy Australia & Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE
RTO Number 3094 | ABN 33 549 081 413 | Phone 1300 0 NCDEA (1300 0 62332)