Dairy Australia’s Head of Industry Talent and Capability, Charmaine Beauchier, explains that the Dairy Industry Capability Guide provides those looking to work in dairy with the first ever comprehensive careers guide that spans dairy farm roles from entry level right through to senior leadership roles.
“Starting by understanding what farmers need and making sure that what we're providing is practical and easy to use is what informed the need for an innovative approach,” Beauchier said.
“We asked ourselves, ‘What are we looking at in terms of market failure for attracting, recruiting, developing and retaining people across the dairy industry?’
According to Beauchier, the development of the Dairy Industry Capability Guide was born out of the need for new thinking around how to deliver support for dairy farmers with their recruitment, management and staff learning and development needs that was truly practical.
“The solution is unique and purpose built - it's very much focused on practical applications and working in partnership with farmers.” she said.
Incorporating every step of the employee life cycle, the framework provides consistency across the dairy industry nationally around career pathways, progression and development. Dairy Australia worked closely with a number of pilot farms to ensure the framework offering has been thoroughly tested in a realistic dairy farm setting.
Beauchier explained that best practice in any industry is to anchor learning and development in a sound capability framework.
“The goal is to support farmers to improve the employee experience, from attraction to retention,” she said. “That is critical in building a sustainable workforce.”
“That means asking what are the levels of proficiency required? What are the roles? What are the behaviours? What are the skills that we want to see demonstrated across the industry?”
The feedback Dairy Australia has received thus far on the Dairy Industry Capability Guide has been overwhelmingly positive, with farmers complimenting the clarity and structure it brings to people development.
To ensure the framework’s success, Dairy Australia is focused on providing the necessary tools and support to make it a fundamental part of daily operations on farm. This includes the development of online tools, self-assessment platforms and interview guides.
“We have developed tools to support farm managers and owners right through from a beginner proficiency in people management – arming them with the right resources and the toolkit so that they can be the most effective leaders that they can be, which then translates into better employee experiences and that translates to higher levels of retention. Our goal is to create great workplaces and great jobs to attract great people to the dairy industry” said Beauchier.
To find out more about how Dairy Australia provides support with employing and managing people, and building skills for successful careers in dairy farming, visit dairyaustralia.com.au/people.
