Paid pre-apprenticeship work paves the way for future tradies

JBS Australia and AMPC have teamed up to offer 20 high school students the chance to spend four weeks working like real apprentices at the Longford plant in Tasmania during January.

When the call went, JBS was flooded with keen applicants.

The programs are for fitter and turners and electricians and were open to students in years 10 to 12.

This is the inaugural intake in a three-year program co-funded by AMPC, designed to test a scalable model for industry-wide application.

AMPC People and Culture Manager Amanda Carter said trades were essential to red meat processing plant reliability, safety and the adoption of automation.

"Processors are increasingly looking for innovative ways to bring people into these roles and we know that by providing a hands-on pathway, young people are given insight into a rewarding and satisfying career that they may not have considered," she said.

The red meat processing industry has identified that innovative ways to facilitate workforce attraction, retention and capability are critical to maintaining a productive and competitive processing sector.

"However, the industry is facing a growing shortage of skilled mechanical trades, which account for 11 per cent of roles in the processing workforce and are identified as national shortages by Jobs and Skills Australia," Mrs Carter said.

"Current entry pathways are limited and largely observation-based. We wanted to design and implement an industry-led trades pathway program that provides structured, hands-on exposure to mechanical trades as a model to attract secondary students into these careers in processing."

The concept was built from discussions after the success of the Meat-Tech Futures program at JBS Longford. Meat-Tech Futures is an immersive science, technology, engineering and mathematics innovation camp run by AMPC in partnership with IntegratedSTEM.

JBS Longford processes premium beef products for both domestic and international markets. The facility is a major regional employer, with more than 350 team members and works closely with local livestock producers, contributing significantly to regional employment, economic activity and supply chain partnerships.  

JBS Longford Plant Manager Blaze Baker said supporting young people as they explored future career opportunities was incredibly important.

"By opening our doors to students, we can help them better understand the opportunities available in regional Tasmania and the valuable role the agriculture and food manufacturing sectors play in our state's economy," she said.

"The future of our industry depends on attracting talented young people, and we are proud to provide initiatives like this that give students the chance to learn, ask questions and see the breadth of opportunities available."

Electrical students will learn how to wire circuits, use programmable logic controllers, install sensors and build their own industrial motor control panel to take home. Mechanical students will gain experience in machining, welding, hydraulics, pneumatics and maintenance while building their own projects from raw steel.

Every participant will receive their own toolkit, a Certificate of Completion, a detailed skills logbook and the opportunity to present their work at a Tasmanian industry awards dinner attended by employers from across the state.