THE state government is doing its bit to help combat the COVID-19 induced shearer shortage, with a $60,000 training grant.
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The funds will be used by Regional Development Australia (RDA) to teach the next generation of shearers and wool handlers at the Glen Innes Agriculture Research Station's Wool Works Shearing School.
Announced earlier this month, the funds come after it was identified more than 450 international shearers would not be available to work in Australia this year, due to COVID-19 border closures.
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Northern Tablelands MP and Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall said he was confident the funding would help fill the void left by the missing workforce.
"Through its Wool Works Shearing School at the Glen Innes Agriculture Research Station, RDA Northern Inland is showing local high school students the exciting and rewarding career opportunities which exist on the floor of a wool shed," Mr Marshall said.
"A fall in sheep numbers and the physical nature of shed work has led to a decline in people entering the industry in recent years, this has meant wool growers have had to rely on shearing teams from inter-state and New Zealand to get their wool clip off.
"Through its wool handling schools RDA Northern Inland is getting locals back in the shed and will put this grant towards conducting four, three-day courses for secondary school students over the next twelve months."
Shearing Contractors Association of Australia secretary Jason Letchford said training was key to helping combat the shearer shortage.
"It is fantastic the state government has recongnised the problem and taken some action," Mr Letchford said.
"To priotise training and attraction of new faces into the workforce is certainly welcomed.
"There is still quite a lot of work to be done to address the shortage of shearers that would normally come over from New Zealand, but this is a great start."
RDA Northern Inland executive director Nathan Axelsson said the grant would give more than 100 young people hands-on experience working in a wool shed.
"In 2016, we conducted research which found approximately 200 new shearers need to be trained to enter the industry on an annual basis," Mr Axelsson said.
"Since 2017, we have run four successful shearing schools with more than 100 participants.
"COVID-19 has impacted our classes in 2020, however we hope to be back at the stand for the first of the four shearing schools in September, with follow up courses in November this year, March and April next year."
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
