Student shearers will be able to get the help they need at the tap of a screen with the launch of a new training app.

Victorian Training and Skills Minister Gayle Tierney visited shearing sheds at Eulong Farm in Southern Grampians last week to launch the Shearing Training App.

The government funded creation of the app as part of a $1.2-million package to address the skill shortage in the state’s wool sector. 

The app is a collaboration between South West TAFE, Shearing Contractors Association Australia, Rural Industry Skills Training and Start Beyond, which brings traditional learning practices into the 21st century and provides a one-stop digital resource for student shearers. 

The app includes instructional videos on shearing and grinding techniques, shot in VR and compatible with popular Oculus Quest and Go headsets, along with a key knowledge-review feature and questions and answers.

The learning upgrade also includes e-learning resources, along with health and safety advice on topics such as how to shear a sheep safely and correctly, how to look after your health as a shearer and understanding best-practice gear maintenance. The app is designed to be used alongside face-to-face training and is available to all shearing students enrolled in formal training from a registered training provider. 

Ms Tierney said the app was one of the ways in which the government was supporting the industry to boost the number of highly skilled sheep shearers.

She said the $1.2-million investment had been used to support the development of new VET-qualified teachers to provide shearing training, to create an entry-level qualification to attract more participants and to support training at more locations across Victoria.

Accredited training is occurring at 14 regional locations in Victoria in 2020.

Ms Tierney said Victoria exported $2.1-billion of wool in 2017-18, and this training program would help the industry by creating new jobs and attracting more qualified shearers. 

“Shearing has been at the heart of so many regional Victorian towns for generations – and this investment will usher in a new generation of shearers and give them the skills they need as the sector continues to boom,” she said.

The entire November 25, 2020 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!

The entire November 25, 2020 edition of AgLife is available online. READ IT HERE!