INDUSTRY NEWS
Promoting almond careers
THE ABA has been shining a light on the careers available in the almond industry in recent months . Around 10,000 people are employed either directly or indirectly though the Australian almond industry . By 2030 , it ’ s estimated 75,000ha of almonds will be in production , so there ’ ll be even more jobs to fill . A report by the Australian Farm Institute shows that for every student graduating with an agriculture science degree there ’ s six job vacancies . While not all almond industry jobs require university degrees , graduates are in high demand . Showcasing the career opportunities in the almond industry ensures students are aware of the roles throughout the value chain , ranging from production to processing and marketing .
Approaching Ag Careers Fair – Wagga Wagga In July , Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga held its Approaching Ag Careers Fair . This is the second year the ABA has participated in this event . Two agribusinesses that produce almonds , Kooba Ag and GO . FARM , were also in attendance . Molly Davies , a third-year Agricultural Science student , was part of the committee that organised the careers fair . She is currently a horticulture technician intern at Kooba Ag , where she works on the almond orchard in her university holidays . “ I began at Kooba in January this year through a CSIRO stem links summer intern program and then have continued to work with them on a casual basis assisting in agronomic practices such as soil sampling , tissue sampling and spraying ,” she said . " It is a very exciting industry to be involved in and hopefully more young people can get involved .” ABA Industry Development Manager Deidre Jaensch said a career in the almond industry can be overlooked , which is why attending ag career fairs is important . “ Many of the students studying agriculture at CSU come from livestock and grain farms , so they are already thinking about careers in these industries ,” she said . “ But this year I noticed that quite
Attending the Adelaide University Agricultural Students Association Growing the Future 2024 event were , from left , ABA staff Kellie Hollingworth and Peter Jealous , with Century Orchards ' Gemma Nunn and Select Harvests ' Jake Albrecht and Austin Zangari .
a few students were still deciding what they were going to do when they graduated and this is where we promote all the career opportunities in almonds .”
Growing the Future - Adelaide In August , the Adelaide University Agricultural Students Association ( AUASA ) held Growing the Future 2024 at the Adelaide Oval . This event attracted 250 students and industry representatives . Select Harvests also attended Growing The Future and , by having adjoining displays , the area became a one-stop-shop for students wanting to learn about the almond industry and the many opportunities that are available . Many of the students who stopped by remembered meeting Gemma Nunn during their visit to Century Orchards as part of their first-year study tour . Austin Zangari from Select Harvests spoke to a group of secondary school students about how his gap year working in the wine industry motivated him to study Agricultural Science at the University of Adelaide . Riverland almond grower Ben Haslett from Woolenook Fruits was a guest speaker during the dinner and his take home message to the students was to be valuable , by critically thinking , being innovative and productive . Mr Haslett also quoted the US Secretary for Agriculture Tom Vilsack who said “ Farming allows 98 % of the population to pursue other interests because 2 % of the population feed them ”.
September activities The ABA ’ s efforts to promote the almond industry are ongoing . This month Industry Development Officer – Sustainability Ella Henson attended Urrbrae Agricultural High School ’ s Agriculture Careers Expo . University of Adelaide graduates Austin Zangari , Gemma Nunn and Peter Jealous spoke with students about their experiences moving into roles in the Australian almond industry as part of the university ’ s first-year study tour to the Riverland . The ABA has been collecting the names of students who are interested in work placement opportunities and internships , so please email communications @ australianalmonds . com . au if you have a role to fill or are willing to host a student . The ABA has prepared a factsheet that showcases some of the different roles available in the almond industry . The ABA has also organised for nine university students to attend the Australian Almond Conference in October to learn more about the almond industry . The students are also bound to benefit from networking opportunities and potential work placements or employment in graduate positions .
industry . australianalmonds . com . au
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