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StockmenUK masters launch BD
REMOVING BARRIERS TO TRAINING
A new initiative is set to revolutionise training in the dairy farming sector. StockmenUK Masters, a one-stop shop for dairy training courses goes live this month and will make it easier to choose and book onto training courses.
Have you ever wanted to go on a training course, or send a member of your staff on a course but been unable to find details of suitable courses? Then you are not alone.
While it is widely accepted that regular training and skills development is essential to make the best use of new techniques, to increase herd performance and to improve motivation and staff satisfaction, it has often been difficult to find details of available courses.
All too often farmers and herdsmen have had to rely on word of mouth or spotting a leaflet or advertisement to find out what training is available. Yet there are hundreds of trainers providing a vast range of training for dairy farm staff.
“It is widely accepted that the UK has a very skilled dairy farming industry,” acknowledges Berrys ABD Director Chris Harvey who is currently StockmenUK chairman. “However as the numbers of cows and milk output per person increases so the demand for new skills grows.
“Furthermore there are outside influences that farmers and herdmanagers now have to cope with. These include political drivers such as cross compliance as well as the economic pressures to remain an internationally competitive industry.
“Skilled, motivated staff are the key to coping with these changes, and training is the investment needed to develop this resource and help attract talented new people into the industry.”
Mr Harvey explains that a report commissioned by the MDC indicated a number of shortfalls in the way training in the UK is organised and StockmenUK Masters has been developed to address many of these points.
“The report demonstrated that delivery training was fragmented and that there was no real visibility of training activities. At the same time there was no way of knowing how good courses actually were or a way of assuring course quality
“StockmenUK Masters is a system which draws together details on the training courses available in the country, allows people to compare courses, choose the course they want to attend and book on it. All trainers and courses registered on the scheme have been assessed to ensure they deliver the level of training required and we will continuously monitor feedback from delegates to ensure that standards are maintained.”
The heart of the system is a website (www.stockmenuk.com/masters). The site contains a list of courses available under the scheme and details on registered trainers. Courses are listed by subject area to make it easy to use.
To help with course selection and career progression, the system contains a breakdown of the skills required for different jobs.
“This facility allows people to really target training,” Mr Harvey comments. “They can see how to improve their performance in the current job by learning additional skills. Alternatively a herdsman who wants to move on to be a herd manager can start learning the skills required for the new position.”
Once a suitable course has been identified, the StockmenUK Masters site has a calendar listing planned courses in date order within region. Using this section, it is easy to see if the desired course running nearby. If it is, the course can be booked then and there. If not, users can register interest in a future course and they will be notified when a course is scheduled in their area.
“We have set out to make the system as straightforward as possible. The courses are broken down into key areas such as animal health, nutrition, staff management and grassland management to make selection easy. The calendar is split into regions making it simple to see what is available close to the farm and booking or registration is very straightforward.
“We have also developed a simple system of assessing course quality. All delegates will complete a feedback form giving their opinion on the trainer, course content etc. We will then draw the results together and give a simple score out of 10 for the trainer and for the course, rather like the rankings on Amazon. Someone interested in a course will have a really simple way of seeing what other herdsmen or herd managers thought of the course and the trainers. As the number of courses run increases so this system will be an incredibly valuable guide.”
The StockmenUK Masters system has been well received by the industry and has attracted support from some of the leading companies involved in dairy farming training. Already Kingshay Farming Trust, The Dairy Group, XL Vets, Kite, Berrys ABD and JohnsonDiversey have registered trainers and courses on the system and Mr Harvey expects this number to grow quite rapidly once the system goes live.
“We hope to have over 100 trainers and a wide coverage of courses listed in the next few weeks and this indicates the support for this initiative. We have also received considerable support from the agricultural colleges who we will be working closely with from now on.
“We will also be announcing some new courses which have been created specifically because there is now a place to promote them nationally.
“I am confident StockmenUK Masters can plug a huge gap in the industry by making it easy for people to identify where training will help them or their business, select the appropriate course and then book onto the course. I am sure we will see a substantial uptake of training which can only be good for the long term future of the UK dairy industry,” Mr Harvey concludes.
