Agricademy is continuing to expand its pool of licensees, signing Ag Drive to deliver on-farm training in its Relief Milking and Dairy Assistant courses.
Ag Drive has a team of four trainers with experience in the dairy industry and will be delivering Agricademy courses on location for farms in and around the Waikato. It also offers a mobile training service with the team being able to travel to different regions, on demand.
Agricademy’s managing director Alister Shennan said the partnership with Ag Drive will improve training outcomes for the dairy industry.
“These key partnerships add to our services and create a bigger, seamless customer offer. Being able to provide training on location, on farm frees up farmers and farm managers who are busy and pushed for time.”
Agricademy offers online courses, backed up by its training courses on farm, which target new entrants and those wanting to upskill in dairy.
Andre Syben, the director of Ag Drive –Waikato’s largest agricultural vehicle training provider – said it is a natural progression to offer training in dairy as their team has considerable experience in farming.
“The Agricademy training is designed and tailored to what farmers want and need,” he said. “We can make it easy for people to access training that is actually useful and practical.”
Head trainer Les Waghorn worked as a dairy farmer for 30 years and will be providing his expertise along with a team keen to make a difference.
Trainer Steven Hinsely said, “Teaching someone from scratch and watching them walk away with confidence at the end of the course is why I do this.”
The trainers are also focused on improving awareness to reduce costly mistakes, and, as Kerrie Sheehan said, “teaching people how to be safe operators is vital in the farming industry”.
Grant Wilson will use his experience to upskill staff. “I really enjoy getting to meet new people, engaging with them, and teaching them new skills,” he said.
Ag Drive has also joined Agricademy’s online marketplace. Agricademy provides online training courses for the dairy industry through its Get Milking Relief Milker and Dairy Assistant courses, and for shearing and wool handling through WOMOlife, with Ag Drive courses now also on offer.
Andre Syben said Agricademy’s innovative approach works.
“Its online training model is absolutely fantastic. We are embracing that with our own training business with our health and safety courses going online on the Agricademy marketplace,” he said.
“We share common synergies and the same beliefs. We share the same ideals, we have the same thoughts about training – it’s got to be practical.”
Alister Shennan said the expanded online offering will deliver benefits to the agricultural sector.
“Together we’re going to have some fantastic outcomes for customers around training both for employers and people that are starting in industry.”
Disclaimer: Dean Williamson, CEO of AgriHQ, is an Agricademy shareholder
