Agriculture Workforce Plan: 80 jobs created for regional projects
About 80 temporary Victorian jobs working on projects from fruit fly and pest control to bushfire recovery and agricultural education in schools will be funded under the state’s Agriculture Workforce Plan.
FUNDING from Victoria’s $50 million Agriculture Workforce Plan will go towards about 80 full-time equivalent jobs to work on projects across the state from fruit fly and pest control to bushfire recovery and agricultural education in schools.
Victorian Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes today announced funding from the plan would be put towards job creation projects for five Catchment Management Authorities.
“We have funded fantastic projects across the state that will benefit several agricultural industries and help communities with land management, pest control and recovery from bushfire and drought,” Ms Symes said.
The projects will include:
FRUIT fly control measures in the Goulburn Broken CMA which will target the removal of wild fruit trees from public land;
SUPPORTING bushfire recovery work in Bunyip and other parts of the Port Phillip Westernport catchment;
A NEW program – also in the Port Phillip Westernport catchment – focused on agricultural education in schools, involving excursions to farms and school incursions to put farmers and producers in front of students to talk about the agricultural industry and food;
A WEED and pest animal control project in the Mallee CMA; and
WIMMERA and Glenelg Hopkins will help agricultural landholders with land management measures such as revegetation and weed control.
Ms Symes said the majority of the jobs would be regionally-based and would provide employment over a six-month period.
“Job creation is crucial to keeping the Victorian economy moving as we gradually ease coronavirus restrictions, and we know how important it is to keep those jobs in regional Victoria,” she said.
Successful applicants will be matched with positions through Working for Victoria, a State Government initiative to help jobseekers find work and employers find workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
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