Food security is an issue that many of us probably took for granted until the COVID-19 pandemic, which with tight restrictions on our international border and global supply chain shortages, brought food security and supply into the national spotlight.
And now post-pandemic, there are climate change-induced disruptions and ongoing supply chain issues which the sector is grappling with – along with workforce shortages and a shift to online shopping and greater use of technology within the grocery retail sector. All of which have implications for VET.
In 2022 – 2023 the House of Representatives undertook an inquiry into Food Security in Australia which in its final report recommended a number of reforms including the development of agricultural job hubs and options for developing skills and encouraging careers in agriculture.
Against this backdrop, Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) has been undertaking research into the Food Supply Chain Workforce. Brilliantly titled ‘An Essential Ingredient’, the JSA report finds that:
“a significant proportion of food supply chain work is located in regional, rural and remote Australia. These labour markets are experiencing acute skill shortages and face complex challenges around accommodation and housing, transportation, and the availability of services.”
The report goes on to add that while it is positive that there is a growing demand in the food supply chain for skilled workers with post-school qualifications “it will be challenging to uplift education and training capacity to overcome thin markets.”
They recommend the following reforms to improve the capacity of the food supply chain workforce:
- Support apprenticeships and traineeships for critical roles (including encouraging work underway by Skills Insight on the development of an ‘Ag Trade Apprenticeship’ and by Industry Skills Australia on ‘earn while you learn’ models for supply chain and logistics roles)
- Improve the relevance and delivery of tertiary education and training (including introducing mechanisms such as scholarships and on-Country training programs to encourage more First Nations students into careers in the agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries industries, and the establishment of a TAFE Centre for Excellence for agriculture)
- Invest in sustainable veterinary and biosecurity workforce pathways
- Combat worker exploitation and ensure migration continues to support regional Australia
- Harness opportunities within the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme
- Improve labour hire practices, enforcement and information
- Facilitate better planning of the food supply chain workforce, and
Address barriers in regional, rural and remote Australia (including exploring options to better tailor workforce programs and policies to local circumstances, and expanding options to “provide facilities and services that address the needs of VET students studying remotely” through the Regional University Study Hubs).
