The agriculture industry will get a special glimpse into the future of education and training when they visit the TAFE NSW stall at next month’s Australian National Field Days (ANFD) in Orange.

The TAFE NSW stall will be at the Trevor Elliot Pavillion to showcase courses that aim to meet emerging agricultural skill demands in the area, with live demonstrations of new and exciting products and technologies from Aerial Mapping with Drones, which has a global agriculture market value expected to reach $8.6 billion by 2030. to Building websites and programming with Python, one of the most in-demand programming languages in the world.

Guests will also have the opportunity to speak with TAFE NSW staff about traditional in-demand trades such in chainsaws, automotive, welding and wool shearing, which has seen a 10% drop in shearers over the last 10 years.

TAFE NSW Head Teacher for Agribusiness in the West Regions, Fiona McCauley, said the exhibition would highlight how TAFE NSW Orange and other campuses in the region are helping provide a pipeline of skilled workers to ensure the local agriculture industry is able to capitalise on promising recent seasonal conditions and commodity prices.

“TAFE NSW is absolutely committed to providing world-class learning opportunities in agriculture and horticulture to students in Orange and other regional areas,” Ms McCauley said.

“We know the agriculture industry is booming at the moment, and that’s why we’re talking regularly with industry leaders to learn how we can best support them to match current needs.”

The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) in February said TAFE NSW and others in the region would play a critical role in ensuring the booming agriculture industry had the workforce to meet future demand, with the NFF Roadmap outlining its vision to grow the workforce by 25 per cent over the next decade.

Among the TAFE NSW displays at the ANFD will be a shearing Mobile Training Unit, which is a custom-fit trailer that contains all the equipment needed to shear a pen of sheep. TAFE NSW expert teachers will give live shearing demonstrations over the three days.

Ms McCauley said it was among a fleet of TAFE NSW Mobile Training Units across a range of industries, allowing more accessible, practical training for students in all corners of NSW.

Other Mobile Training Units to be showcased at the ANFD will include animal studies, hairdressing and beauty.

A state-of-the-art virtual welder, a truck driver training simulator, an electric car and a horticulture and plant display will be among the other highlights of the TAFE NSW stall.

“TAFE NSW is proud to be a long-time supporter of the Australian National Field Days and we look forward to chatting to local patrons about how TAFE NSW can help them launch their careers, reskill or upskill for the jobs they want,” Ms McCauley said.

To explore the range of courses available at TAFE NSW or phone 131 601 for more information.