MORE must be done to attract and retain skilled agricultural staff if Tasmania's economy is to grow, according to the state's peak farming bodies. The Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association has warned an upper house inquiry a shortage of agricultural labour is set to worsen over the next decade, despite rural unemployment remaining high. TFGA chief executive Peter Skillern said automated farming was not a panacea to labour gaps, with skilled employees needed to drive new technologies. Mr Skillern told MLCs most agricultural training centres were fighting a losing battle to keep pace with new farming technologies. He said state and federal funding for agricultural training and development had been cut in recent years. ''There needs to be a shift in focus to developing strong partnerships with industry to deliver the practical side of programs,'' he said. Rural Business Tasmania said clear pathways for secondary and tertiary agricultural education must be better promoted, arguing a lack of clarity about career options was a key impediment to entering the sector. Fruit Growers Tasmania spokesman Phil Pyke agreed, saying the problem was also compounded by the fact that few growers used heavily-trafficked job portals to advertise positions, relying instead on word-of-mouth. ''Careers are even more difficult to identify and the seasonal nature of the sector doesn't provide longevity in the workforce,'' Mr Pyke said. He said the FGA was funding some on-orchard training, but more was needed to keep up with increasing demand for produce. ''The growth in the sector cannot be sustained without a trained workforce,'' he said. ''However, to succeed this need consolidating and funding in order to produce work-ready staff.'' The University of Tasmania said there was little focus on agriculture at a compulsory school level, arguing specialist teacher training was needed. The university offered to develop a specialist curriculum to counteract the problem.
MORE must be done to attract and retain skilled agricultural staff if Tasmania's economy is to grow, according to the state's peak farming bodies.
The Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association has warned an upper house inquiry a shortage of agricultural labour is set to worsen over the next decade, despite rural unemployment remaining high.
TFGA chief executive Peter Skillern said automated farming was not a panacea to labour gaps, with skilled employees needed to drive new technologies.
Mr Skillern told MLCs most agricultural training centres were fighting a losing battle to keep pace with new farming technologies.
He said state and federal funding for agricultural training and development had been cut in recent years.
''There needs to be a shift in focus to developing strong partnerships with industry to deliver the practical side of programs,'' he said.
Rural Business Tasmania said clear pathways for secondary and tertiary agricultural education must be better promoted, arguing a lack of clarity about career options was a key impediment to entering the sector.
Fruit Growers Tasmania spokesman Phil Pyke agreed, saying the problem was also compounded by the fact that few growers used heavily-trafficked job portals to advertise positions, relying instead on word-of-mouth.
''Careers are even more difficult to identify and the seasonal nature of the sector doesn't provide longevity in the workforce,'' Mr Pyke said.
He said the FGA was funding some on-orchard training, but more was needed to keep up with increasing demand for produce.
''The growth in the sector cannot be sustained without a trained workforce,'' he said.
''However, to succeed this need consolidating and funding in order to produce work-ready staff.''
The University of Tasmania said there was little focus on agriculture at a compulsory school level, arguing specialist teacher training was needed.
The university offered to develop a specialist curriculum to counteract the problem.
