Research

Keep up to date with the latest research into capability building by attending our annual Research Forum or searching our online Research Resource.

Research Forum

We host an annual, one-day research forum focused on recent research into the building of our workforce to meet the future needs of New Zealand’s food & fibre sectors.

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Research Resource

Search our Research Resource for case studies, research papers, reports and sources of data relating to building capability, including PICA-commissioned research.

If you are aware of a research paper relevant to any of NZ's food & fibre sectors and would like it included on this page, please email info@growingnz.org.nz

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Found 97 of 97 research papers

Do current extension methods cater for farmers with dyslexia?

Published: 2021

Many of us who work in the agricultural industry will know farmers with dyslexia. Many of whom have tried to hide it rather than embrace it. Often these are intelligent individuals, but they struggle with reading and writing and therefore could be classed as a ‘functional dyslexic’ but some dyslexics are ‘literate dyslexic’s and will persevere with reading and writing. ... More

The future of work in New Zealand: An empirical examination

Published: 2021

This report examines the adoption of future-of-work (FoW) practices, processes and technology in New Zealand workplaces. It uses the 2018 Business Operations Survey (BOS) linked to administrative data from Stats NZ’s Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) and Longitudinal Business Database (LBD) to examine two main questions, each with a firm-level and an individual-level component. Firs... More

Youth in STEM Research 2019-20

Published: 2021

In a world of constant change, it is critical that the Australian population has the right skills to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the technological and innovative advancements happening around the world. An understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is invaluable to developing these skills. In light of this, the Department of Industry, Innovation ... More

Attracting and Retaining Young People in the Sheep Industry

Published: 2020

For the sheep industry to reach its greatest potential, it needs to have the right young people in the right places to help drive it forward. This report features a wide range of examples and opinions of young, driven and passionate people on the ground in the sheep and other agricultural industries. The aim is not to provide an academic or organisational solution to the issue, but to build on suc... More

Attracting Youth into Agriculture: Developing a strategic framework to encourage young people to pursue a career in agriculture

Published: 2020

This report aims to provide a unique perspective on the current international issue of how to attract youth into agricultural careers. As a teacher, the opportunities and limitations of the schooling system are identified, and improvements suggested. As a farmer, the strengths and weaknesses that exist as the primary employer of these youth are explored. There needs to be an alignment of all indus... More

Workforce redeployment - social research with primary industry considerers

Published: 2020

The primary industry sector has a shortfall of workers across many roles and fields. There is a huge and time-critical opportunity to attract people made unemployed by COVID-19 (in particular those from tourism and hospitality) into primary sector training and jobs before they find work in other sectors or begin retraining for non-primary sector roles. To help with this, MPI seeks to unders... More

Opinion of Primary Industries - May 2020

Published: 2020

Results in this report are based upon questions asked in the UMR online omnibus survey, which is a nationally representative sample of 1,077 New Zealanders 18 years and over. The survey was conducted between 21st and 27th April 2020. More

Human capability in the primary industries: Part 1 2002 to 2017 – an overview

Published: 2020

This report builds on the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Future capability needs for the primary industries in New Zealand (Future capability report) that was published in April 2014 and is an updated version of the Human capability in the primary industries: Part 1 – 2002 to 2016 and now includes 2017 qualification and workforce data. The aim of this report is to monitor how the prim... More

Human capability in the primary industries: Part 2 2002 to 2017 – Qualification analysis by region

Published: 2020

This report builds on the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Future capability needs for the primary industries in New Zealand (Future capability report) that was published in April 2014. The aim of this report is to monitor how the primary industry workforce is changing over time. This report should be read in conjunction with Human capability in the primary industries: Part 1, which describes... More

Drawing the Future: Exploring the career aspirations of New Zealand children

Published: 2020

This report presents findings from Drawing the Future, a research project that explores children’s career aspirations and the influences that shape them. Available literature and findings from Drawing the Future internationally show that children and young people’s career aspirations form at a young age and can be predictive of study and employment-related choices th... More

Dream jobs: Teenagers’ career aspirations and the future of work

Published: 2020

With young people staying in education longer than ever and the labour market automating with unprecedented speed, students need help to make sense of the world of work. In 2018, the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the world’s largest dataset on young people’s educational experiences, collected first- of-its kind data on this, making it possible to e... More

Jobs of Tomorrow Mapping Opportunity in the New Economy

Published: 2020

Through new data sources, we can gain unprecedented insights into emerging opportunities for employment in the global economy, and granular understanding of the skill sets needed by professionals. This new data reveals that 96 jobs across seven professional clusters are fast emerging in tandem reflecting “digital” and “human” factors driving growth in the professions of tom... More

ASEAN Youth Technology, Skills and the Future of Work

Published: 2019

Based on a survey of 56,000 youths aged 15-35 years old from six countries in the South-East Asia region (ASEAN), this report analyses the views of young ASEAN citizens on future of work, skills and technology. The survey finds that ASEAN youths are highly aware of potential disruption and challenges brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution to the local labour markets, and they are aware they m... More

Food & Fibre Careers Promotion and Pathways

Published: 2019

The Great South Coast Food and Fibre Council is responsible for promoting growth and addressing industry capacity constraints within the Great South coast region. Nurturing careers represents one of 8 strategic platforms being pursued by the GSCFFC and forms the focus area for this project. Agriculture and food production in the region is of significant scale at both state and national levels. Th... More

2019 Forestry Labour Requirements Survey

Published: 2019

In 2018, Te Uru Rākau, the Forest Owners Association, and the Forest Industry Contractors Association surveyed the commercial silviculture and harvesting sector to better understand its labour requirements for 2019, and to gain the industry views of the main reasons for the labour shortages. The survey was designed to better understand: expected labour requirements, both seasonal and permanent... More

Attainment, attrition, retention and completion of students at tertiary education providers and through industry training 2010-2019

Published: 2019

Statistics relating to: achievement in workplace-based learning, including industry training and Apprenticeships; qualification completion for industry training learners and students at tertiary education providers by their field of specialisation and other characteristics; and qualification Completion Rates. More

Envisioning the Future of Education and Jobs: Trends, Data and Drawings

Published: 2019

The report looks at the future of education and jobs and the challenges and opportunities presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It concluded that the skills mismatch observed in the labour market has its roots in primary school, and that giving all children, regardless of gender and social background, the same chance to meet professionals in a variety of fiel... More

Opportunities and Barriers Perceived by Secondary School Agriculture Teachers in Implementing the GPS Cows Learning Module

Published: 2019

Within the agriculture sector the use of digital technologies is rapidly expanding. There is a growing shortage of skilled people considering a career within this sector to support the uptake of agricultural technology. The GPS Cows program is designed to improve secondary school student’s knowledge and skills of emerging agricultural technologies. It highlights a range of opportunities and ... More

TeacherFX - Building the Capacity of STEM, Agriculture and Digital Technologies Teachers in Western Australia

Published: 2019

Whilst agriculture is Australia’s fastest growing industry, the negative perception of career opportunities by high school students and the lack of educator confidence in teaching about food and fibre concepts is a major issue currently faced by the sector. The Teacher Farm Experience (TeacherFX), a joint program of Rabobank’s Western Australia Client Council and CQUniversity Australia... More

Evaluating the effectiveness of support interventions for adult dyslexic learners in New Zealand’s multiple learning environments

Published: 2018

An evaluation of the interventions designed to benefit dyslexic learners, helping them navigate the education system and into the workforce as fully functional and highly successful members of our community. The review outlines multiple support strategies reported in the literature, from a range of settings, including academic, workplace and individual, and delivered via various mechanisms, such a... More

LEAF Teenage Years Engagement Survey

Published: 2018

The twelve-month research programme, commissioned by LEAF Education and supported by Rothamsted Research, comprised a survey of over 1,000 12 to 18-year olds across the UK and interviews with 60 teenagers at a Teenager Empowerment event. The research revealed that despite teenagers feeling disconnected to farming and having limited understanding of what it delivers, many of today’s young pe... More

Student Perceptions of Workforce Readiness in Agriculture

Published: 2018

The purpose of this study was to examine postsecondary agriculture students’ perceptions of and their personal competence in various workforce readiness skills. In addition, we sought to determine students’ views of the importance of workforce readiness skills. The findings indicate that the participants felt most confident in their abilities to work independently and without sup... More

Survey of Rural Decision Makers - understanding decision makers in primary industry

Published: 2018

The Survey of Rural Decision Makers is a resource to help policy makers, regional councils, industry groups, and businesses to explore questions related to: demographics; values; land use, and land-use change; farm management; objectives; and network size and composition. It is designed to build a better picture of decision-making at the farm level, and economic, social, and environmental data are... More

The Future of Jobs Report 2018

Published: 2018

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is interacting with other socio-economic and demographic factors to create a perfect storm of business model change in all industries, resulting in major disruptions to labour markets. New categories of jobs will emerge, partly or wholly displacing others. The skill sets required in both old and new occupations will change in most industries and transform how and... More

Emerging technologies in agriculture: Consumer perceptions around emerging Agtech

Published: 2018

Emerging technologies have already proven be a key driver in the future sustainability and profitability of Australian agriculture. With the sector likely to continue to increase its reliance on new technologies over the short to medium term, it is important to understand what the likely implications from consumers will be, and whether there is a role for industry and others to proactively engage ... More

Hidden Links, New Opportunities - How big data and job clusters can improve the 1.2 million job matches in NZ each year

Published: 2018

This report seeks to improve matching in New Zealand’s highly dynamic labour market. Using big data to uncover hidden links between jobs, it provides valuable new insight to help workers and students, as well as their employers and educators, to uncover new career paths and work opportunities. By analysing a data set of unprecedented scale, we find surprising similarities in the skill profil... More

Perceptions of Careers in the Tourism Industry - Quantitative Research Findings

Published: 2018

This robust online research project builds on the qualitative focus group research undertaken by the research agency Angus & Associates, covering four NZ cities: Auckland, Rotorua, Nelson and Christchurch. While the qualitative findings provided a broad insight into the key issues surrounding young people’s perceptions towards careers in tourism, this online quantitative ... More

From Education to Employment: Megatrends affecting NZ's working environment

Published: 2018

Technological change is ushering us into the biggest transformation of the working environment since the Industrial Revolution. Our modelling estimates that 31% of current jobs in New Zealand’s workforce could be automated over the next 20 years. This change is occurring in a global economy that is becoming ever more interconnected. The effects on New Zealand are apparent in our trade... More

Profiling Career Changers

Published: 2018

Previous research has identified "career changers" as an important source of highly valuable recruits. They make up the largest group of new entrants to our primary sectors, bring skills and experience from other sectors, and potentially continue to have successful careers in our sector. However, little is known about career changers - which sectors they come from, how long they stay, what de... More

New Zealand’s Environmental Reporting Series: Our land 2018

Published: 2018

This publication reports on the state of the soil, and the state of indigenous biodiversity and ecosystems in New Zealand. The aim is to provide an overview of condition, and changes over time, to support decision-making at all levels of society. Themes explored in Our Land 2018 include: the pressure of human activities on natural resources and likely impacts of climate change; the threat this pre... More

Room to Grow - Challenges for the future of food and fibre education in Australia

Published: 2018

A comprehensive review to identify current issues related to education in agriculture, fisheries, and forestry in Australia, with a view to identifying threats and opportunities for Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia (PIEFA) to address in the implementation of its strategic objectives. In addition, the analysis aims to reveal the ‘state of play’ in perceptions of an... More

Young Peoples’ Perceptions of Careers in the Tourism Industry - Qualitative Research Findings

Published: 2018

Comprehensive qualitative research involving focus groups and individual interviews to establish a baseline understanding of young peoples’ awareness of, and attitudes towards, careers in the tourism industry. Specific areas to be addressed included: How young people learn about, and form opinions of, career options How a tourism career is viewed in general What ... More

2030 Roadmap - Australian Agriculture’s Plan for a $100 Billion Industry

Published: 2018

The National Farmers' Federation, in consultation with members, industry stakeholders and government, has developed the 2030 Roadmap. The Roadmap identifies the significant opportunities and challenges facing the Australian agriculture sector, and the steps required to reach the goal of exceeding $100 billion in farm gate output by 2030. The Roadmap was developed through an extensiv... More

A National Analysis of School-Based Agricultural Education Involvement, Graduation, STEM Achievement, and Income

Published: 2018

The progression of research on school-based agricultural education (SBAE) has been limited, in part, due to a lack of nationwide, student data detailing the effectiveness of SBAE. Using an ecological systems perspective, the relationships between SBAE enrollment; graduation rates; postsecondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) achievement; and income were explored usi... More

Life after Study

Published: 2018

Statistics relating to the impacts of tertiary education on life after study including: income, employment, rates of return, living standards and other post-study outcomes. More

Participation in tertiary education in New Zealand

Published: 2018

Statistics relating to: field of study of the courses studied at tertiary education providers; participation in Industry Training; participation in Secondary-Tertiary Alignment Resource (STAR) programmes. More

Principles of an Indigenous CommunityBased Science Program

Published: 2018

This paper describes a set of principles found within existing indigenous community-based science programs, identified as possible contributors to the success of indigenous students in science education. The examination of what makes these types of programs successful is an area of research that is yet to be thoroughly explored. These principles could support indigenous communities to develop, exa... More

Seven Questions about Apprenticeships: Answers from International Experience

Published: 2018

After a period of relative neglect in many countries, apprenticeships and other forms of work-based learning are experiencing a revival. Their effectiveness in easing school-to-work transitions and serving the economy is increasingly recognised. However, engaging individuals, employers, social partners and education and training systems in such learning remains a significant challenge. In light of... More

Suburbanites' Perceptions About Agriculture: The Challenge for Media

Published: 2018

As urban dwellers become more isolated from the original sources of their food, their dependence on agriculture becomes less vivid. Information from a recent study documented how consumers in Southeastern Pennsylvania view themselves in the context of their food system and the importance they place on sustaining regional agriculture. This article then discusses the role of mass media in helping th... More

Developing student interest in the agriculture sector

Published: 2017

Qualitative and quantitative exploration of youth (late secondary, early tertiary-aged students) in Western Australia - drivers of career choice, decision-making processes to their future, perceptions of agriculture, and how to position agriculture as a desirable career option. More

St Paul’s Centre of Excellence for Agricultural Science and Business Developmental Evaluation - 2017 Full Report

Published: 2017

This report details the results of the 2017 survey completed with students in the Agricultural Science and Business and Agribusiness programmes at St Paul’s Collegiate School and students involved in the Agribusiness programmes at the lead schools throughout New Zealand. Lead schools are those schools who are developing programmes that are similar to those that have been developed by St Paul... More

Skills Students Need in the Real World: Competencies Desired by Agricultural and Natural Resources Industry Leaders

Published: 2017

The competencies addressed by undergraduate agricultural education programs should be assessed so programs are effective in supplying a well-prepared agricultural- and natural resources-oriented workforce, and so human capital is optimized. In this study, agricultural and natural resources leaders were surveyed to determine the workforce competencies they believed graduates of post-secondary... More

New Zealanders' views of the primary sector

Published: 2017

A repeat of the 2008 study that looked at rural and urban New Zealanders’ views of rural New Zealand and the primary sector, and their comparisons to the literature and media reports. The main objectives for this study include: gaining an in-depth understanding of the beliefs and values held, across both urban and rural New Zealanders, regarding the primary sectors (agricultural, horticultur... More

Profile & Trends - New Zealand’s Workplace-Based Learners

Published: 2017

This is the third of six reports to be published in the Profile & Trends 2016 series. The report contains information on industry training and other workplace-based learning trends for the year ended December 2016. Most of the statistics in the report are derived from returns provided by government-funded tertiary education organisations to the Tertiary Education Commission. It covers: partici... More

Exploring Elementary Students’ Scientific Knowledge of Agriculture Using Evidence-Centered Design

Published: 2017

The public is more disconnected from agriculture than ever. Americans are now two to four generations removed from the farm with a majority of Americans having no direct experience in agriculture. As a result, the public lacks the knowledge and appreciation of the food, fuel, and fiber it demands. The National Agricultural Learning Objectives (NALOs) were recently developed to describe stude... More

Health and Wellness of New Zealand Farmers - Initial findings from research into the wellness of, and wellness behaviour patterns of, New Zealand farmers

Published: 2017

Health and wellbeing of New Zealand dairy and sheep & beef farmers compared with those working in other industries (both rural and urban). Better understanding of the nature of wellness and wellbeing patterns will allow users of this research to: inform policy and project design (e.g. promotional campaigns and training programmes); develop indicators for ongoing monitoring of the mental and ph... More

School leavers destinations

Published: 2017

Destination of school leavers after leaving secondary school. Each year, around 60,000 students are leaving the schooling system and moving on to further education, work place training or employment. This indicator follows the pathways of domestic school leavers into tertiary education. Enrolments in tertiary education are indicators of the extent to which New Zealanders are developing the skills ... More

BCITO Workforce Development Plans

Published: 2017

The construction sector is reaching crisis point - demand for new homes and other builds is at unprecedented levels, but there are not enough people to meet that demand. If collective action is not taken now, there is a real risk that the sector will not be able to meet future demand, and there is a strong possibility of negative consequences in terms of timeframes, quality, and perception. BCITO ... More

Career and Skills Pathways: Research into a whole-of-system approach to enhancing lifelong career support mechanisms for all Australians

Published: 2017

Australia needs to transition to a career support model that works for all people, no matter what their life stage and circumstance. Given the accelerating pace of change, the longer we take to act, the more Australians will fall behind. PwC have been engaged by the Commonwealth Department of Education and Training to research and investigate a whole-of-system, lifelong career support model for al... More

Primary Sector Science Roadmap

Published: 2017

Te Ao Tūroa – the Primary Sector Science Roadmap (the Roadmap) has been designed to strengthen New Zealand’s bioeconomy. It provides an integrated 10 to 20 year outlook on the science needs and opportunities of most importance to protect, grow and enhance New Zealand’s primary sector, and support the wellbeing of New Zealanders. The Roadmap identifies four areas that science nee... More

The post-study earnings and destinations of young, domestic graduates.

Published: 2017

A series of fact sheets and associated data tables provide information on the outcomes for young people who complete a qualification at a tertiary education provider in the New Zealand tertiary education system. They look at differences in earnings and earnings premiums for graduates who complete qualifications at different levels and in different fields of study. They also look at destinations in... More

Trends in primary sector qualification completions

Published: 2017

This document summarises data on primary industry related qualification completions. The analysis considers trends in the completions of tertiary training programmes that relate directly to the primary industries. While this will supply a large proportion of the ’flow’ of training into primary sector workforces, it does not provide all that flow. Many individuals will obtain general qu... More

Measuring the impact of GrowingNZ - Indicators to monitor change in New Zealand's primary sector workforce

Published: 2017

An important role of the Primary Industry Capability Alliance is to monitor trends in the workforce size and capability as these provide key indicators of the success of GrowingNZ and its member’s strategies in achieving industry capability goals. This report tracks the changes in two aspects of the Primary Industry workforce: (1) Workforce size. This monitors the changes in overall and indi... More

New models of tertiary education

Published: 2017

The report is a broad-ranging inquiry into how well New Zealand’s tertiary education system is set up to respond to emerging trends in technology and the internationalisation of education, and changes in the structure of the population, and the skills needed in the economy and society. As part of the inquiry, the Commission was asked to identify potential barriers to innovation. The Commissi... More

Primary Industries Workforce Scan

Published: 2017

Qualitative and quantitative research (including labour market insights) to develop an evidence based Workforce Scan for the Primary Sector. Primary ITO commissioned research, carried out surveys of workplaces, and collated data from industry partners. The document summaries the workforce trends, issues and risks that the primary industries are facing collectively, and within each industry in the ... More

Briefing for Incoming Ministers - Primary Industry Skills Programme

Published: 2017

Briefing prepared for Hon Louise Upston (Associate Minister for Primary Industries), providing information on the capability needs in the primary sectors and MPI’s skill work programme, and policy and implementation issues. A highly skilled, adaptive and evolving workforce is critical to the future of the primary industries in New Zealand. Over the next decade there will be a need to increas... More

Understanding decision making that leads to careers in the Primary Industries

Published: 2016

This research was focused on secondary school students, with objectives to: (1) establish a baseline of secondary school students’ current levels of awareness and consideration of, and attitudes towards careers in the primary industries; (2) understand the things that influence their career decision making and what would lead them into tertiary-level study related to the primary industries a... More

St Paul’s Centre of Excellence for Agricultural Science and Business Developmental Evaluation - Progress Report

Published: 2016

The focus for the developmental evaluation of the Centre of Excellence for Agricultural Science and Business/Agribusiness programmes at St Paul’s Collegiate School in 2015/16 has been on developing an understanding of why students had chosen to be involved in the programmes and their perceptions of the programmes after completing two years of study. Students in each of programmes were survey... More

Non-completers in industry training

Published: 2016

This research explores the reasons why some industry trainees do not complete their qualifications. It was undertaken between November 2014 and May 2015 to support on-going efforts to consider interventions to improve the rates of qualification completion by industry trainees and apprentices. It aims to explore the factors that are associated with apprentices and industry trainees at levels 3 and ... More

Returns from training in the dairy farming industry. Part A: The relationship between formal qualifications and employee income

Published: 2016

This analysis explores the relationship between formal qualifications and the individual income of segments of employees in the dairy farming sector. Intuitively, better qualified staff should be paid more, all other factors being equal. Data obtained using Statistics New Zealand’s Integrated Data Infrastructure are used to test this hypothesis. The report explores the influence of qualifica... More

Tasmanian Primary Industries Workforce Development Scan 2015-16

Published: 2016

The purpose of this Scan is to build a comprehensive picture of the landscape of Tasmania’s primary industries sector, from the education sector to the paddock, including the challenges, opportunities and emerging issues that may impact on workforce development capacity and capability. Advances in technology and shifts in consumer expectations, combined with an aging workforce are just some ... More

Primary sector workforce skill projections - Analysis of dairy farming, beef & sheep farming, and the forestry production industries

Published: 2016

Report showing how the skills of the workforce in the dairy farming, beef & sheep farming, and forestry production industries are projected to change over time. These projections are compared to targets set out in the Future Capabilities Report in 2014. Scarlatti’s Inchworm model was used for predictive analysis, with inputs calibrated using data extracted from Statistics New Zealand&rsq... More

Returns from training in the dairy farming industry. Part B: Modelled impact on business performance

Published: 2016

Estimation of the financial benefits of a range of formal training options available to the dairy farming industry. These are determined using a model that attributes the variation in dairy farming profitability to different influences, including training. More

The Attitude Gap Challenge - A South Auckland Employment And Skills Challenge

Published: 2016

This project centres on understanding the reasons behind the lack of connection between local employers and young people in South Auckland. South Auckland has a broad and growing economy, rich cultural diversity and a young population. However South Auckland young people’s high unemployment rate isn’t explained by lack of educational attainment alone – a situation both socially a... More

The extent and cyclicality of career changes: Evidence for the U.K.

Published: 2016

Using quarterly data for the U.K. from 1993 through 2012, we document that the extent of worker reallocation across occupations or industries (a career change, in the parlance of this paper) is high and procyclical. This holds true after controlling for workers׳ previous labour market status and for changes in the composition of who gets hired over the business cycle. Our evidence suggests th... More

Project Kāmehameha - A summary of research to inform design and delivery of career resources for Māori

Published: 2016

Project Kāmehameha is a research programme that will be used to drive the development of digital tools and resources to respond to the changing career needs of rangatahi Māori. In particular the research will strengthen pathways for Māori learners through the improvement of digital tools and resources for rangatahi, whānau and teachers.This report summarises the three pieces of research undertaken... More

Briefing Paper on Agribusiness within New Zealand Secondary Schools

Published: 2016

This brief provides a rationale for the introduction of Agribusiness as an Achievement Standards based, University Entrance (UE) accredited and Scholarship subject at NCEA Levels 2 and 3. More

Retention of skilled migrants in the New Zealand Dairy Industry

Published: 2016

The retention of skilled migrants is a key issue facing many industries. This study focusses on factors that enable and hinder retention of skilled migrants in the New Zealand dairy industry. A model was developed from existing literature containing four contexts for migrant experience and five key migrant experience process stages. From this model, a selfcompletion questionnaire was developed and... More

Getting the best from your investment in training an apprentice - A Competenz research paper

Published: 2015

This study asked employers in companies which train apprentices in the industries Competenz supports: How do you get the best from your investment in training an apprentice? The study covers apprenticeships in these industries: baking, engineering, fire protection, forestry, furniture, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), plastics manufacturing, refrigeration and air conditioning and ... More

Current knowledge on workforce issues in Victorian agriculture

Published: 2015

There has been a recognised problem accessing labour in agriculture which can have dire consequences for the productivity and profitability of Victorian agriculture and can lead to poorer wellbeing in rural communities. Understanding the nature of and influences on agriculture workforce issues may help understand the role, if any, for agriculture in addressing state unemployment issues. Relatedly,... More

A Workforce Development Strategy for the Cotton Industry

Published: 2015

This is the Cotton Workforce Development Strategy and Action Plan for 2015-18. It is based on a substantial body of high quality research, case studies, skills’ needs assessment and focus groups across the industry. This has resulted in a broad picture of the significant capability gaps and challenges facing the industry in terms of maintaining enterprises’ human resource capacity, sys... More

Environmental Scan of the AgriFood Industry 2015

Published: 2015

Each year, AgriFood Skills Australia develops the Environmental Scan, the 'early warning system' for Australia's vocational education and training (VET) system and governments on industry's skill and workforce development needs. Based on real-time views and evidence from across the country, it sets out the factors impacting on the shape and capability of Agrifood's workforce, and how well the VET ... More

Helping Māori and Pasifika learners build their skills in the workplace - A Competenz research paper

Published: 2014

This study looks into Maori and Pasifika workplace training. Outside forestry, Māori learners are enrolling in industry training at a rate that is considerably lower than the rate at which they participate in the workforce; and Pasifika learners are enrolling in workplace trades training at a rate that is considerably lower than the rate at which they participate in the workforce. The Government&r... More

Agricultural education and employment for the future

Published: 2014

There are great people in agriculture, and we have some terrific younger generation members who are bright and motivated to achieve, coming through the pipeline from school into the workforce. However, they are very few in number in comparison with others in their age group. Anybody in agriculture now is clearly unusual. Our challenge is to understand the majority mentality to be able to attract a... More

National Agriculture Workforce Development Plan

Published: 2014

The overriding goal of this workforce development plan is to enable the agriculture sector to remain competitive by retaining and recruiting a skilled workforce. There are a host of groups involved in the education, training, skills and careers sector within the agriculture sector. In response to concerns about a lack of co-operation and coordination across these various groups, the National Farme... More

People Powered - Building capabilities to keep New Zealand’s primary industries internationally competitive

Published: 2014

Key findings from the "Future capability needs for the primary industries in New Zealand" report, and summary of the expected capability needs for each of the primary industries, along with the services, such as marketing and scientific research, that support the primary industries. More

Future capability needs for the primary industries in New Zealand

Published: 2014

Human capability is a core asset underpinning the achievement of each industry’s strategy. This report provides an analysis of sector trends and employment information to develop a wider understanding of the skills and capability required by the primary industries over the period to 2025, it uses analysis of industry strategies as a base for labour market modelling. The results reported here... More

Agriculture training and education - Spoilt for choice but is it hitting the mark?

Published: 2014

As an employer of farm staff in New Zealand we are spoilt for choice for training and education options for new and current employees, with more offerings on the boil. However are they hitting the mark and resulting in the productivity our agriculture sectors aim for? For many years we have had access to basic training in skills such as riding an all- terrain vehicle or using a chainsaw. These are... More

Graduates in agriculture

Published: 2014

Headlines such as ‘A dearth of agriculture graduates is threatening food sustainability’ in the United Kingdom, ‘Concerns over shortage of agriculture graduates’ and ‘Australia running out of food freshers’ from across the Tasman, along with ‘Agriculture begging for graduates’ from New Zealand have featured in the media in the last 12 months. They in... More

New Entrants to Australian Agricultural Industries: Where are the young farmers?

Published: 2014

This report explores the declining numbers of young farmers in Australian agriculture, and is based upon a time series analysis of Australian Population Census data for the period 1976 to 2011. The report is targeted at anyone interested in the changing demographic structure of Australian farming and perhaps concerned that these changes may threaten Australian food security or Australian agricultu... More

Agricultural Education in an Urban Charter School: Perspectives and Challenges

Published: 2014

Urban school districts are viable recruitment sources for higher education in agriculture and have the ability to play a significant role in efforts to increase agricultural education program numbers at the secondary level. Secondary school increases should lead to growth in agricultural college enrollments across the country. Increasing agricultural literacy and overall enrollment at the collegia... More

Developing Agribusiness Achievement Standards

Published: 2014

This report provides a rationale for the recommendation of the introduction of Agribusiness Achievement Standards at NCEA Levels 2 and 3. The subject Agribusiness is defined as a course of study that integrates all the primary industries and businesses that comprise primary production. Primary industries comprises a group of sectors including; agriculture, aquaculture, dairy manufacturing, equine,... More

Encouraging students into the primary sector

Published: 2013

New Zealand sits in an interesting position. It has a reputation as a worldleading, innovative food producer and has around 60 per cent of its export wealth coming from the primary sector. As such, you could be forgiven for assuming that a fairly typical secondary school student, when considering options for tertiary study, would be attuned to the scientific and commercial opportunities which fall... More

Valuing the skills of people on dairy farms

Published: 2013

A great deal of attention has been given in recent years to how business profitability can be increased by investing in developing skills among managers and employees. This is reflected in The Strategy for New Zealand Dairy Farming launched by DairyNZ in 2009, which adopts as its first two aims increasing farm profitability and attracting talented and skilled people to be retained by the industry.... More

What standard of agricultural student are we creating?

Published: 2013

School liaison officers at the Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre continue to struggle to open some secondary school doors. On occasion we are still denied the chance to spread the word about agriculture and to have the opportunity to update schools on the breadth of career pathways that exist and are being created. There are many interesting and cutting edge careers within the industry and it ... More

Review Into Agricultural Education And Training In New South Wales

Published: 2013

This Review was initiated because of concern about the shortage of young people choosing careers in agriculture. It follows parliamentary enquiries federally and in Victoria, and looks specifically at the situation in New South Wales. However, it can be expected that at least some of the matters raised have application nationally. There needed to be a context for the Report and so a vision stateme... More

Inquiry into agricultural education and training in Victoria

Published: 2012

This report presents a vision for the future of agricultural education and training in Victoria. It provides a framework for the strengthening of Victoria’s agricultural education and training system by ensuring providers at all levels have the capacity, expertise and resources to deliver high-quality agricultural education and training and better aligning the system with the needs of studen... More

Professional Agriculture – A Case of Supply and Demand

Published: 2012

The agricultural industry is at the crossroads in terms of workforce capacity. Evidence is presented that there is a sizeable job market in agriculture and more than 4000 jobs per year are consistently being advertised seeking agricultural professionals. Conversely the number of graduates being supplied by Australian universities continues to decline significantly and is less than 20% of the numbe... More

Rebuilding the Agricultural Workforce

Published: 2012

A scoping study that reviews the effectiveness of current interventions designed to increase the number of people with higher education qualifications in the agricultural workforce. Although employment levels in on-farm agriculture have not been growing, there is a shortage of skilled labour across the agriculture sector, particularly when agribusiness is taken into account. Based on current proje... More

Food, Fibre and the Future

Published: 2011

Primary Industry plays a vital role in Australian’s economy and society, but the gap between rural and urban communities is growing, contributing to a lack of understanding of where food and other basic necessities of life come from. The goal of the Primary Industries Education Foundation (PIEF) is to provide a source of information on primary industries for educators, to better equip studen... More

Education and training challenges for the Australian forestry sector: An analysis based on recent trends in university and vocational education and training (VET) completions

Published: 2010

As in other Australian primary industry sectors, there has been increasing concern over the past decade about the skills shortages evident in the forestry sector, and the education and training needs of the sector. The forestry sector, like others in the primary industries, is characterised by relatively low levels of workforce qualifications compared with community-wide averages. We review nation... More

Does Workplace-based Industry Training Improve Earnings?

Published: 2009

This report forms one of the initial outputs from a project between the Ministry of Education, the Department of Labour and Statistics New Zealand looking at the employment outcomes of tertiary education (EOTE). In recent years, workplace-based industry training has been growing at a faster rate than other forms of tertiary education and training. Government and industry have substantially increas... More

For Love not money: Insights on the Career Choice of Early-Career Agricultural Scientists

Published: 2009

There is concern about the declining number and quality of people entering careers in agricultural science, a situation which may reduce the human capacity to support agricultural industries in the future. The perceptions and experiences of some early career agricultural scientists may provide some insights into how the appeal of a career in agricultural science might be improved. We surveyed 24 e... More

New Zealand farmer and grower attitude and opinion survey: Analysis by sector and management system

Published: 2007

The core of the ARGOS research design is a longitudinal panel study. Panels of 12 farms were selected to represent conventional, integrated and organic management for the sheep/beef sector, Kiwigreen, gold and organic management for the kiwifruit sector, and conventional and organic management for the dairy sector. The research involves gathering data on these farms in order to assess the nature o... More

Which Farmers Participate When?

Published: 2006

This report seeks to gain a better understanding of Australian farmers’ participation in capacity building activities and to identify sources of data on participation rates. It attempts to identify existing baseline information on participation by Australian farmers as a whole, and by agricultural industry, type of capacity building activity, region, and by sociodemographic factors (far... More

The Future of Agricultural Education: The Case of the Netherlands

Published: 2006

Agricultural education has been an essential factor in the success of agricultural development in the Netherlands. At present, as in many countries throughout the world, the position of agricultural education is threatened. Does agricultural education have a future in the Netherlands, and if so, what strategies are being used for its survive? This paper discusses these questions. First the agri-fo... More

Australia's Farmers: Past, Present and Future

Published: 2005

Analysis of the demographic change in Australia's farm sector between 1976 and 2001. Considers the impact of age related entry to farming and exit from farming upon the profession of farming. More

Found 97 of 97 research papers