Photo: The Weekly Times

Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development Jaclyn Symes visited a dairy farm in Mooroopna today with representatives from Dairy Australia and Murray Dairy to discuss progress on a skills development project.

As Victoria’s dairy industry continues to respond to drought and skills shortages, the Labor Government’s $35,000 grant from the Regional Skills Fund is aimed at building local capacity and resilience as well as creating jobs.

The ‘Defining future dairy industry service sector skills project’ has been driven by industry and was identified by the Goulburn Regional Partnership.

The project aims to identify future state-wide dairy skill requirements in line with the rapidly changing environment that the industry now operates within.

Murray Dairy is leading the project and has engaged a consultant to undertake market analysis of Victoria’s dairy services sector, and map current and future skills needs.

The final report will include a dairy industry skills development plan with identified pathways and stakeholders to implement the plan at a regional level.

It will also guide the development of materials and programs delivered by the various education and extension providers.

With more people in the industry with the right skills, it will lead to productivity benefits, an increase of emerging technologies and more ability to respond to future industry challenges.

Dairy is a key agricultural industry in regional Victoria, accounting for more than 62 per cent of annual national milk production and exports worth $1.9 billion in 2017-18.