Tania is Project Officer Workforce Attraction and Retention and has moved into a national role in Dairy Australia’s industry people team. These roles have given her the opportunity to combine her passion for working with people in regional communities with her expertise in recruitment and human resources (HR) in Australian agriculture.
“I grew up surrounded by dairy farms and I’ve always had an interest in agriculture. I also had a business running Dorper sheep,” Tania says.
Tania’s day-to-day role involves promoting the dairy industry and its many benefits and opportunities to the public.
“I share the importance of the dairy industry with schools, employment service providers, universities and TAFEs,” she says.
“We also work directly with farmers to help them place suitable people on farm, then provide support and training for them to retain those people.”
She emphasises the importance of a robust induction and onboarding process for new employees, ensuring that they receive a positive first impression and feel valued from the start.
Tania works closely with farmers to implement HR systems and encourages the use of Dairy Australia’s Enlight training platform as one highly valuable resource.
The Enlight platform provides the flexibility for self-paced learning – supporting employees with their training across topics including people and safety, soils and irrigation and farm performance. Popular programs include Starting a job in dairy, Milking and Mastitis Management and Rearing Healthy Calves.
Tania also supports farmers to provide their staff with career development opportunities via the use of traineeships, such as the Certificate III in Agriculture or Dairy Production.
“Experiences like this encourages staff retention and motivation and it gives them the opportunity for future career development down the track,” she says.
“I encourage farmers to send their staff to regional extension activities as well. Yes, they're off farm for a day but when they come back, they have so much more knowledge to use and share – and they're going to be so appreciative of what you're doing for them.”
Dairy Australia offers courses in all aspects of dairying, including animal health, pasture management, technology, innovation, and sustainable practices. Additionally, Tania helps farmers develop their leadership skills through programs like Farming with my Team and Managing People, which support farm managers and owners improve workplace culture and staff retention rates.
“Those programs improve leadership skills on farm – there is so much involved – it's not just about the skill development for the hands-on activities, but the people management aspects as well,” she says.
Tania’s recommendations for other farmers are clear: invest the time in training and development, create a supportive and appreciative work environment, and continuously engage in learning.
To find out more about how Dairy Australia provides support with employing and managing people, and building skills for successful careers in dairy farming, contact your regional team today or visit dairyaustralia.com.au/people.
