Traineeships for Production Horticulture in Queensland at a Certificate II and III level have been officially recognised by the Australian Qualification Framework.

The Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI), peak horticulture body Growcom and local growers associations such as the Bowen and Gumlu District Growers Association have worked together to have the skills and training required to work in production horticulture recognised through traineeships.

A Certificate II in Production Horticulture is now recognized as the training required for a farm hand while a Certificate III in Production Horticulture will classify a graduate as a tradesperson.

Growcom CEO Alex Livingstone said that the achievement was a result of a thorough review of the career pathways for production horticulture in Queensland and the collaborative efforts of State Government and industry representative bodies.

Livingstone said recognition of traineeships provided growers with the opportunity to provide a career pathway and training for employees - two recognized activities that attract and retain staff.

He urged the industry to think about enrolling new and existing staff into the traineeships.

"By providing an atmosphere of skills development and training in their businesses, growers can build up a professional and productive workforce, assisting their bottom line," he said.

"The recognition of Production Horticulture traineeships is a fundamental step toward the provision of high quality, relevant and industry driven training that will provide the industry with the skilled labour growers need to meet the challenges they face," said Australian Agricultural College Corporation CEO Tony Reyner.

"When developing a training plan AACC staff work closely with the producer to ensure that the training delivered is high quality, current and relevant to the needs of the individual enterprise.

"The industry based training delivery assists growers develop the skilled labour force they require to meet the challenges they face today and into the future."

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