Grads bring a burst of fresh growth to hort sector
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2021 edition of AFG, available online here.
“The sector needs a new generation of leaders, in addition to workers. It needs to make sure it has got young people coming through with the skills they are looking for.”
For the last five years, a targeted internship program has been connecting horticultural businesses with new graduates, injecting the industry with a burst of fresh talent, new ideas and abundant enthusiasm.
The Hort Innovation Graduate Engagement Program, a strategic investment of the Hort Innovation Frontiers Fund, was developed to forge a direct pathway for new university graduates to enter different areas of horticulture.
The goal, explains program facilitator Gemma Burger of Rimfire Resources, is to attract young applicants from both traditional and non-traditional horticultural backgrounds, to increase interest in horticultural careers among graduates, and to build a new pool of industry leaders – all while supporting participating businesses with funding to subsidise the cost of taking on new interns.
“Hort Innovation and the industry recognised the need to go out and attract young talent and future leaders within horticulture,” Gemma said.
“The sector needs a new generation of leaders, in addition to workers. It needs to make sure it has got young people coming through with the skills they are looking for.”
A collaboration between Rimfire Resources, the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation and Hort Innovation, the program has already successfully matched more than 40 grads with businesses across the horticultural sector.
The program is built on a two-part structure: first, students undertake a ten-week paid full time equivalent (FTE) internship with an industry partner. Then, after successfully completing the internship, students are offered a 12-month graduate position with their company.
During those twelve months, the grads participate in the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation’s Introduction to Leadership development course, which is specifically designed to support new grads’ leadership skills as they progress through their career in horticulture. The initiative is part of a new push to build a pipeline of new talent into the industry – a big part of which is presenting horticulture as a desirable place to be for young people.
“The program gave us the chance to give the message to the universities: horticulture offers amazing opportunities in an industry with a lot of variety and innovation,” Gemma explains. “We’ve been able to demonstrate that there are a range of jobs out there and a demand for these skills.”
Participating grads responded to advertised positions spanning agronomy and science, QA/QC, sales, mechatronics and mechanical engineering, and operational roles with a range of horticultural businesses both large and small. Producers and growers, consultancy groups, suppliers, marketers, and researchers have all benefited from the injection of new skills and energy represented by the graduates– many of whom, says Gemma, found an unexpected enthusiasm for horticulture.
“A large proportion of grads coming through hadn’t considered horticulture initially and are now very enthused by the industry and the opportunities,” she says. “This message then passes back through future cohorts.”
And it seems that this enthusiasm is providing perennial rewards. Seventy per cent of the 2019–20grads have stayed in their role with their host companies after the end of their graduate year, and despite the funding part of the program ending in early 2021, many participating businesses are choosing to continue taking on graduates. This trend means Gemma is optimistic about the longevity of the program.
“Freshmax, for example, are taking another two graduates this year despite the cessation of the funding,” she says. “as they have seen the value in having grads in their business. Ultimately the anticipation is that industry sees the need and value in bringing graduates into the business.”
Hear more from the grads themselves in these case studies.
Eliza Seymour
“I think I’m going to be at this company for a very long time.”
Eliza Seymour, Horticultural Development Agronomist, Kenso Agcare Pty Ltd
Erin Coyle
“I realised how passionate I was about horticulture.”
Erin Coyle Health, Safety, Environment & Sustainability Coordinator, Freshmax Group
The key partners in the Graduate Engagement Program are Rimfire Resources, Australian Rural Leadership Foundation and Hort Innovation. For more information, contact Gemma Burger on 1300 380 701.
Attracting new entrants into Australian horticulture – promoting careers in horticulture (LP15006) is funded by the Hort Frontiers Leadership Fund, part of the Hort Frontiers strategic partnership initiative developed by Hort Innovation, with co-investment from Rimfire Resources and contributions from the Australian Government.
