Overview
VegPRO education and training initiative is a R&D levy funded industry education and training initiative that’s role is to provide training, resources, and tools to the Vegetable industry. Whether training is existing or just an idea, VegPRO is here to support your training needs.
VegPRO wants to hear from you about your specific needs to make training happen that is relevant, timely, easy to access and responsive to the ever-changing production environment.
We asked Sophie Lapsley, VegPRO’s Education and Training Coordinator, a few questions about how vegetable growers can make the most out of VegPRO.
What are the three top takeaways for Victorian vegetable growers from VegPRO?
1. Industry must get involved in education and training. Industry should be actively engaging with registered training organisations (RTO’s), TAFES, and/or other training providers to ensure that these organisations are providing the courses that their industry and growers need.
2. There isn’t necessarily a skills gap, it’s a lack of demand. If growers and industry show demand for skills they need by initiating conversations then training providers will be more inclined to offer the appropriate trainings (it’s a chicken & egg dilemma).
3. Industry needs to promote itself as a career. The perception of the industry from the outside can be quite negative, which has significant impacts on recruitment into the industry. The industry would do well to make more of an effort to celebrate their wins and promote the variety of career paths within the Vegetable industry.
