Offered through the ‘Building capacity in the Grass-fed Beef Industry’ project, the investment aims to offer professional development initiatives for both current and aspiring industry leaders.
The project will be delivered through the Cattle Council of Australia (CCA), on behalf of MLA, over the next two years.
It will contribute to the achievement of two of the highest priorities in the Meat Industry’s Strategic Plan 2016-2020: building leadership capability; and protecting and promoting our industry.
MLA managing director Richard Norton said: “The development of capable leaders with a whole of value chain, global perspective will ensure there are highly skilled producers who can continue to represent industry and effectively contribute to policy decisions into the future.
“While developing the skills base of the current generation, this project is also about developing emerging talent and I want to encourage the ‘up-and-comers’ within our industry to seek out these opportunities through the Cattle Council.”
He said CCA would deliver the project to milestones with key deliverables including:
• 50-100 beef producers provided governance training specific to the beef industry;
• 40% of current and all future CCA directors to complete a company directors’ course;
• A review of CCA’s existing governance systems and professional advice on improvements;
• Skills-based appointments of the two independent CCA directors by 2019;
• Communication, media and advocacy training for CCA board and committee members;
• An alumni of 50-70 industry leaders provided leadership and communication training;
• Training of a beef-specific graduate in strategic policy development.
Norton added that the project also provided a mechanism for MLA to use CCA’s consultative committees to inform its research, development, adoption and marketing priorities.
“CCA is the prescribed industry organisation for the grass-fed beef sector within the Australian Meat and Live-stock Industry Act 1997, so it provides a critical forum for MLA to consult and take advice on the services that we deliver for our levy payers,” he said.
“This new capacity-building project with CCA will help inform MLA’s priorities, while also developing the skills of those committees with governance, communication and advocacy training.”