OASIS HORTICULTURE: UPSKILLING THE HORTICULTURAL WORKFORCE

By Matt Ross

In an industry first, Oasis Horticulture and Kangan Institute are collaborating to deliver Certificate lll in Horticulture at Oasis’ Devon Meadows site. We went along to their Program Launch on 18 May to learn more about how the collaboration came about, to speak to those involved and understand the benefits.

Oasis Horticulture and Kangan Institute are conducting the program under the auspices of the Victorian Government’s Free TAFE initiative. The program will deliver a relevant horticultural industry prescribed tertiary course to upskill Oasis Horticulture employees within the convenience of their workplace.

Oasis Horticulture are currently supporting 36 of their existing permanent and casual employees to undertake a pilot of the 18-month course.

One of the students, Belinda Reville, Pots and Packing Team Leader in Dispatch, has been with Oasis Horticulture for two years and has welcomed the opportunity to step back into the ‘classroom’ and undertake a formal qualification. ‘There is no way I would have been able to study horticulture unless it was for the convenience of being able to do it at work, during my working day and without a cost attached. It’s motivated me, it’s making me a better horticulturist and means I’m able to apply my knowledge to different areas of the nursery rather than be pigeonholed into just one.’

‘As a team we’re coming together, getting to know one another better, and we’re all encouraging one another to do our best. A lot of us have worked in the nursery industry for a lot of years without a formal qualification, it’s fulfilling to have all that knowledge and experience recognised. It’s been a gamechanger.’

The idea for the Program came about when Stephen Lade, Operations Manager at Oasis, connected with Kris Barker, Business Development Manager at Bendigo TAFE and Kangan Institute, at an industry event last year. Kris introduced Stephen to the Victorian Government’s Free TAFE initiative and the potential to upskill his workforce at their site.

Six months into the pilot program and Stephen is starting to see the impact that the course is having, ‘I think the biggest benefit we’ve seen to date is that as a business we have employees who are skilled across multiple areas of the nursery. That means the team can step into different areas as and when we need them to.’

‘Looking ahead when we have our busier periods and bring in casual staff with less experience, we’ve got a cohort here that can effectively train them and bring them up to speed more efficiently. We aren’t a nursery that relies on automation to do the work, the knowledge and skills of our team is key to what we do.’

The training is delivered to fit around Oasis’s work schedule; more training during quieter periods and less training when they’re busy.

The educators from Kangan Institute are also enjoying the opportunity to deliver training on-site. Alisa, Horticulture Teacher at Kangan Institute, ‘we’re able to deliver hands-on training and apply the learning to the students work site, it brings everything to life. Working with students that are already part of the industry, they know a lot already, they just need to develop their confidence and this program is giving them that.’

Kris Barker has been delighted with the partnership with Oasis Horticulture and the opportunity to deliver onsite training at a Victorian horticulture business for the first time.

‘Oasis have been wonderful to work with. They’ve been very communicative about their needs, and it’s been very much a partnership. Already we’re hearing that some of the students are being recruited into leadership positions. The success of this program using the Victorian Government’s Free TAFE initiative shows that this is a viable delivery model which other horticulture businesses can benefit from.’

Craig Taberner CEO of NGIV, Victoria’s industry body for horticulture, is also enthusiastic about the program and said, ‘as an industry we are experiencing challenges in attracting and retaining skilled workers, the convenience of this training program offers an innovative approach to meeting those challenges.’

NGIV would like to wish the Oasis students all the best in the remainder of their studies and their future careers in horticulture.

More information

Bendigo Kangan Institute (BKI) delivers the Certificate III in Horticulture course direct to industry across Victoria.

For further information relating to the onsite delivery of the Horticulture programs please contact: Kris Barker Business Development Manager – Major Projects & Workplace Delivery m: 0402099760 | e: k.barker@bendigotafe.edu.au