AgSkilled

Workforce training for the agricultural plant-growing and livestock sectors.  Find out how to get involved. 

Last updated: 01 March 2023

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AgSkilled 2.0 is a $18 million investment over three (3) years for agricultural workforce development by the NSW Government.  

What the program does 

AgSkilled helps current and future agriculture workers with: 

  • career entry pathways and employment outcomes 
  • production, business, technology and safety skills. 

The program supports NSW industry by: 

  • helping primary producers develop and retain a productive workforce 
  • boosting the agricultural industry in NSW  
  • increasing farm efficiency, productivity and profitability 
  • increasing the use of new technology and sustainable farming practices. 

Who it’s for 

It's for anyone interested or working in the agricultural plant-growing and livestock sectors.

Agricultural plant-growing includes fibre, grains, production horticulture, viticulture and rice growing. This includes fodder and forage crops such as forage sorghum, pennisetum, millet, lablab, cowpeas, soybeans, grain sorghum and maize.
 
Agricultural livestock includes the raising/husbandry of beef cattle, dairy, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, honey-bees, other livestock, animal management services used for commercial agricultural (food and fibre) production and/or pest/disease management for these livestock animals.

Applicants could be a primary producer, farm employee, industry professional (e.g. agronomist).

Or someone seeking employment in the sector, including job seekers and school leavers.

What funding and support is there?  

Students can get AgSkilled funded training if they're eligible for Smart and Skilled. 

Smart and Skilled provides fee-free training for courses that target identified skills gaps. 

For support and advice on the program: 

About the training 

AgSkilled has four key training pillars:  

  • Production, Technology, Business and Safety. 

The training can be tailored to:  

  • suit your business needs 
  • suit students with a range of skills and experience.  

Training topics include: 

  • Farm production 
  • Precision agriculture 
  • Soils and nutrition 
  • Emerging technologies 
  • Agricultural processing (on-farm) 
  • Retailing (on-farm) 
  • Farm machinery operation and maintenance 
  • Licensing 
  • Farm business management 
  • Workplace health and safety 
  • Leadership. 

Training locations 

All agricultural plant-growing and livestock farming operations, businesses across NSW. 

Available Courses and Units of Competency 

Employers and Training Providers can select any Units of Competency from:  

AgSkilled 2.0 - Course & Units of Competency (UoC) Listing 

For course availability, scheduling, and new course proposals refer to the AgSkilled 2.0 website  

How do I become an AgSkilled trainer? 

To deliver the AgSkilled program, training providers must be: 

To submit an expression of interest in training, contact:  

The Steering Committee includes: 

Who delivers AgSkilled 2.0 training?  

Training Providers endorsed to deliver AgSkilled 2.0 include: 

Case studies – Developing our Agricultural Workforce

Drones short course demonstrates practical on-farm solutions

Riverina farmer Wayne Brooker had been looking into how drones could help him on the farm for a while. He wanted to know more about the latest types of drones, what they could do, and if they were available on the local market.

So, Wayne enrolled in the AgSkilled 2.0 Drones in Agriculture short course to get the necessary information and basic skills to operate a drone. He wanted to participate in an accredited course.

After completing the training, Wayne purchased a mid-level drone to use on his property. Primarily, he has used it to map crop conditions and check pest pressures. And it has also helped him cut down the hours of on-farm vehicle driving.

Healthy vines training to benefit the vineyard operations team

Kristy Bartrop is a Riverina viticulture technical manager responsible for thousands of hectares of vineyards. She focuses on plant health, organising inputs into the vineyards and managing water accounts and irrigation.

Over two interactive days, Kristy road-tested the AgSkilled 2.0 Grapevine Integrated Pest and Disease Management course for her vineyard operations team.

By investing in training for her team, Kristy wants them to have the skills and confidence to move into higher and more secure roles in the future. In addition, by upskilling her workforce, Kristy anticipates significant economic and environmental benefits for the business through more targeted management strategies.

Crop protection course yields bumper results

As an agronomist, Tim Brooker from Wee Waa knows how important crop protection is in the cotton industry. He has lots of experience in the field, and knows there is always more to learn – new methods and latest products.

So, Tim took up a AgSkilled 2.0 Cotton Pest Management two-day course to keep up with the latest advancements in the field. The short course has helped Tim to be more confident going into next season, and it was a valuable way for him to get to know the other participants and build his professional networks.

Having access to short, relevant courses that can be applied straight into a person’s role, like the Cotton Pest Management short course, gets Tim’s recommendation.

Grapevine pruning training helps industry newcomer

Former construction manager Josh Hardes signed up for the one-day AgSkilled 2.0 Introduction to Pruning for Grapevines course on the advice of his company’s consulting viticulturist.

In this course, Josh learned the why, when, and how of grapevine pruning, including spur and cane techniques to boost vine health and longevity. As a result, he is more informed, more confident and has the skills to do the job.

And having had a successful experience with this short course, Josh is signing up for all the AgSkilled 2.0 viticulture short courses. Next year, he also hopes to enrol in a Certificate III in Viticulture.

Drones course offers precise benefits in agriculture

With new technologies bringing advancements to the ways farmers farm, Jeremy Borowski, a partner in a sizeable mixed-family farming business, was keen to explore the latest drone technology.

So, Jeremy enrolled in the Drones in Agriculture one-day on-farm workshop with short pre-course online support work. He found that the introductory course demonstrated how easy it is to use a drone and confirmed the potential of the technology on-farm.

Beyond their use in precision grains cropping, Jeremy has also found drones are an excellent tool for their livestock business – helping to find and muster stock on his large property.

Further information and resources 

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