An innovative new collaboration between Murray Dairy, GOTAFE and Shepparton’s Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) community is aiming to support farmers in attracting workers to dairy farming careers.
Fully funded by Agriculture Victoria, the collaboration aims to engage with diverse local communities, pilot GOTAFE’s new ‘goLearn’ online training platform and create clear pathways to a career in dairy.
As part of the collaboration, a family evening was recently held in Shepparton to provide information highlighting dairy as a great place to work and build careers.
Attendees from the local CALD community enjoyed food from their own culture as they heard about the advantages of embarking on a dairy career.
Melva Tyson from Murray Dairy joined Tonia Lincoln from GOTAFE in providing information about the dairy industry.
Declo Bisimwa, the founder and director of the Masomo Mbele (School First) African Australian Youth Leadership Foundation, spoke about his own experiences in dairy and also translated for the audience in English and Swahili.
“This type of evening was an exciting new approach for us, as we were able to break down some of the barriers that might otherwise exist for members of the local CALD community to understanding the great career opportunities open to them in the dairy industry,” Melva said.
“People are ready to start or continue to build on their careers and this can be life changing for many involved and affirmative progress for our region.”
Also in attendance were Murray Dairy board member Hamish Crawford and Jenny Wilson from the Gardiner Dairy Foundation.
Attendees were also treated to a special demonstration of GOTAFE’s new goLearn purpose-built training program, which will help members of the Shepparton CALD community to decide if dairy will be a place of opportunity for them for future employment.
Murray Dairy is currently working alongside the other dairy regional development programs in Victoria — WestVic Dairy and GippsDairy — to deliver a one-on-one program to farm businesses that will enhance the attraction and retention of members from CALD communities in each region.
This exciting next step will run for three years and allow strong networks to develop across the regions while giving farmers first-hand support when employing CALD community members.
For more information on how Murray Dairy can support careers in the dairy industry, call (03) 4811 6008.
– Melva Tyson, workforce attraction project lead, Murray Dairy.
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