A new season is on the way
The new dairy season is now upon us and once again, be prepared well in advance with recruitment and retention of staff is the theme. NZ Dairy Careers began a new initiative in February to further support this message with Chew The Cud Week which is intended to be the official start point for the industry for conversations about employment for next season. Further info can be found at www.chewthecud.co.nz.
NZ Dairy Careers have been fielding calls now from employers who are planning for next season and are wanting to ensure they had the pick of available employees which shows farmers are acting on the message of preparation. The last thing farmers what is to be left without employees putting them behind when the season starts which is a longstanding and annual problem for those who leave it too late. There is another theme that’s emerging as the industry evolves which is potentially good news for dairy owners who can adapt to the changing feel of the employment market. That change is in the continued development of foreign workers becoming a regular part of dairy in New Zealand. A prominent part of NZ Dairy Careers’ operation is to ensure the industry has a supply of well-trained staff and be aware of these emerging markets that can provide sound employment options for farmers through a combination skills and appropriate immigration status. NZ Dairy Careers is fortunate to have a partnership with Heartland Immigration who help the in process of successfully landing candidates ready for the new season. The process of immigration paperwork and the time is takes to do it can be off putting for farmers who are often too busy to do it and fear not getting it right first time.
It appears that overseas workers are the new norm in New Zealand’s dairy industry as these prospective employees are looking for work opportunities and the industry must keep the stocks of employees up to meet employer demands. Our farmers have had huge success with the Irish students that come out as part of the NZ Diary Careers agricultural college programme and have requested more due to the level of training they enter the market with and the fact they adapt very quickly to local life due to similar cultural backgrounds and English being their first language. Also, the Irish students have been very keen to learn and often come with the intent of taking new skills back home, so they make the most of all on farm opportunities.
Jo Taylor from NZ Dairy Careers says “The success of our international students is they can arrive on farm with ‘cups on’ experience and they are the types of employees we’ll continue to seek across the board as we expand our recruitment drive to meet the needs of our clients”.
For more information about recruitment and retention in the dairy industry call now before the new season +64 (03) 971 5564