Pork Industry Training (WA) is an incorporated association whose role is to coordinate the delivery of training within the WA pork industry.

Pork Industry Training (WA) was incorporated in 1996 under the name of WAPITEC. In September 2002 the name was changed to Pork Industry Training (WA) to better reflect the association's role in the industry.

The association was formed to address the shortage of skilled staff in the WA pork industry. The industry is currently in a position to undergo significant expansion, however the lack of skilled staff has been identified as a potential impediment.

For a list of Pork Industry Training (WA)'s Objectives, click here.

Pork Industry Training (WA) is funded by the pork industry through the Pork Producers Committee of the Agricultural Produce Commission, and reports to the Executive of the WA Pork Producers Association (WAPPA) on a quarterly basis.

Early in 2002, a Training Officer was appointed to concentrate on developing and facilitating training courses to meet the industry's needs.

Pork Industry Training (WA) (formerly WAPITEC) played an integral role in the development of the WA Pig Skills Centre in Northam. The centre is a state of the art pig production facility established to provide training opportunities for new entrants and existing members of the industry.

Identifying Training Needs

A necessary process in addressing skill shortage is identifying producers' needs in terms of training and development for themselves and their staff. This is where the Training Officer becomes important in liaising with industry to determine those needs and establish a training schedule to meet them.

To begin to understand training requirements of the pork industry, a survey was sent to producers during June 2002 asking them to indicate the importance they place on training, the impediments to participating in training, potential topics for courses etc.

A total of 23 producers responded to the survey. For a Summary of the Producer Survey Results, click here.

Management Training Survey

Pork Industry Training (WA) has traditionally concentrated on delivering courses relating to stockpersonship and production, however producers have indicated that there is also a need for management oriented training.

One-day courses of this nature where advertised however uptake was minimal. As a result, a survey was conducted to determine the impediments to attending this type of training and how we can structure courses so they’re more sought after by producers. For a Summary of the Management Training Survey Results, click here.

Feedback from the survey has been used to begin developing a Certificate IV/management level training course to follow on from the Certificate III/Stockperson Training Course.

Funding for Training

Although extremely valuable, training courses can be expensive. There are funding sources for training and these should be utilised where possible.

There are government incentives available for employers who put their employees through entry level training under the New Apprenticeship program. Traineeships are available for both Certificate II and III Agriculture (Pig Production).

At the moment, and for a limited period of time, there is an opportunity in WA for existing workers to be eligible for Traineeships in the same way as new employees.

There are criteria which need to be met in order to be eligible for a Traineeship. A New Apprenticeship Centre (NAC) is able to determine your eligibility, however to discuss Traineeships initially, contact the Training Officer.

Traineeships largely involve on-the-job training as well as some form of off-the-job training. Trainees undertaking the Certificate III Agriculture (Pig Production) at TAFEWA CY O'Connor have the opportunity to participate in the Stockperson Training Course as the off-the-job component.

Approved training at Level 4 and above (management oriented) may be eligible for FarmBis support. There are also training funds available through the Small Business Development Corporation. The Training Officer will pursue funding for all courses where possible.

Pork Industry Training (WA) Committee

The Pork Industry Training (WA) committee is chaired by Dr Bruce Mullan, Senior Research Officer with the WA Department of Agriculture. Bruce has a long association with the pork industry, particularly in the area of nutrition. He is also very aware of the industry's training issues and assists with the delivery of the Stockperson Training Course.

Other members of the committee include:

• Neil Ferguson, General Manager, Westpork
• Assoc Prof Martin Bent, Muresk Institute, Curtin University of Technology
• Dr Chris Brennan, Director, Agripork Australia; Director, Portec Australia
• Annette Howard, Producer, Kamarah