If you are a farmer or employer and are having trouble finding farmworkers. Here are some ideas.
www.farmreadyhub.com is a ‘hub’ of information that freely provides links between job seekers, regional Queensland, Government training & employment initiatives and employers.
Secondly, it is home to the FarmReady Card, Queensland’s own agricultural industry-endorsed and government-funded training program. Designed to help job seekers ‘hit the ground running‘ on your farm, so they arrive better prepared. FarmReady aims to provide a large percentage of your on-farm induction – leaving you to put your valuable time and effort into the specifics of your workplace during your employee’s first morning on the job. The FarmReady Card is a 12-month membership ($49) charged to the job seeker but with free employer benefits.
The FarmReady Card also teaches job seekers about Queensland’s agri-industry, its regions, and employers. This is where an employer can position themselves to be a job seeker’s first choice. After FarmReady jobseekers contact you for work, they can email you their resume, letter of offer and job start kit (Employment Agreement). This service is free to employers. This information comes directly from a FarmReady Cardholder’s Skills Passport (part of their 12-month membership).
Apart from the website, FarmReady’s other broader services are in adult education and workforce development. Meaning that FarmReady also works with various community initiatives and government projects to educate and employ people in agriculture. As a result of this, many different types of potential workers go through the FarmReady Hub and, they ALL need a JOB! So, FarmReady goes that extra step to offer a community service that links job seekers (who are interested in Ag) to employers like you.
These potential employees include migrants, visa holders, Australians, school leavers, vocational or academic graduates. Harvest and packing staff are essential, but we also need specialist operators, team leaders, managers and technical staff. FarmReady attracts a diversity of people who have differing skills and qualifications for farm careers. Agriculture is made up of so many different jobs across various commodities. There is a job for everyone, but not all jobs are suitable for the individual, so job seekers need training in the industry and how to find the best job for themselves before they set out on their journey. FarmReady offers this level of training and standard induction topics like FWO, OHS, IR, Food Safety, COVID and Biosecurity. Making FarmReady Card a holistic preparation course for the Queensland agricultural industry.
If you wish to see all the topics included in the FarmReady Card training, visit here.
FarmReady’s ethos
FarmReady’s ethos is to promote agriculture as a long-term career of choice, whether a job seeker starts off as a casual labourer or is qualified to move into a specialist role. As well as ensuring they ‘self-filter’ themselves into the right job. So, they arrive at the farm gate ‘not quite so green’, which helps with an employer’s induction efficiencies and compliance. This approach helps an employer stay connected to a resource of workers who are interested in agriculture and may last longer than average on your farm.
Here are some top tips on how to utilise FarmReady:
Our website delivers an initiative of the RJSA.
The FarmReady Card Micro-Credentialing Pilots Program project is proudly supported and funded by the Queensland Government.
The contents of the FarmReady Card have been developed to provide preparation training & information for job seekers wishing to connect with agriculture. The © ™ FarmReady Card is a micro-credential training program resulting in a digital credential. The FarmReady Card concept was originally developed in 2003 by the Lockyer Valley Alliance.
