CDU rural tafe trainers travelling more than 2000kms in a week to teach

They’re the Northern Territory trainers who travel more than 2000 kilometres in a week to teach students in a very different kind of classroom – and they love it. Find out more about them here.

The CDU agriculture and rural operations trainers aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty on the job.

Travelling to up 35 different cattle stations a year – some of which are bigger than Canberra – Charles Darwin University’s Katherine rural trainers are no strangers to clocking up the kilometres for their students.

CDU agriculture and rural operations TAFE team leader Tegan Dunn manages a team of five rural trainers who she said all have a broad range of skills, but are united in their passion for their job.

“It is not your typical teaching gig but this team has a passion for the industry and can’t imagine doing anything different,” Ms Dunn said.

CDU agriculture and rural operations trainers out in the field.

The team of five rural trainers are all female, and conduct workplace assessments, teach theory and deliver practical unit activities, according to Ms Dunn.

“Each day can look a bit different, the scope of skills a student needs to complete can be anywhere from putting up a fence, mustering cattle or reviewing breeding guidelines and feeding schedules,” she said.

Out on the cattle stations classrooms look a lot different to what city slickers are used to – students aren’t taught in airconditioned rooms, but often around the campfire in camp chairs, with one of the biggest hurdles being keeping dust away from their electrics.

“Each station is different, and I think it helps keep our training relevant, it is a very broad industry and industry needs workers who are skilled across a number of areas including animal husbandry, IT and understanding the environment,” Ms Dunn said.

One of the agriculture and rural operations trainers out on a job on a remote cattle station.

“Understanding the environment plays a big part in the job, from flooding to fires and actively responding to these complications is all part of the job.”

Because of this, the rural TAFE trainers are just as hands on as their students: they’re helping them muster cattle, holding up fence posts in paddocks, and making sure the animals are safe.

“The team ensure this program continues to be offered at an outstanding level of quality and training, each of the team have a different passion, from mustering cattle, to being a proficient motorbike rider or horse rider – the skills the team have are as diverse as the landscape that they travel,” Ms Dunn said.

All the trainers have backgrounds in rural operations or agriculture, and the courses they train in range from certificate II in agriculture and rural operations to certificate IV in agriculture – as well as everything in between.

To Ms Dunn, the distance travelled is all another part of a day's work in an industry where students can’t just take time off, and require hands-on learning.

And after a record number of enrolments in 2023 – with over 300 enrolled students – they’re on track be travelling further this year, with students now based in rural Western Australia and Queensland.

“Most of the students we work with have a massive background of working on stations and we are here to ensure they have access to the qualifications and understand the areas they are already working in or want to work towards,” Ms Dunn said.