Apprentice graduates to training others

Published date28 September 2022
Publication titleCentral Rural Life
Matt says studying for the apprenticeship enabled him to get his first stock manager role and has opened the opportunity for him to keep furthering his career

Matt’s study journey started at South Otago’s Telford Rural Polytechnic where he studied the New Zealand Certificate in Agriculture Level 2 and 3. From there he gained a place at nearby Jeff Farm, a sheep and beef breeding and finishing property owned by the Salvation Army Trust, and studied Level 4.

Jeff Farm offers agriculture-related course scholarships to young people and each year up to four students train in practical farming skills on the property.

Matt completed the Primary ITO Level 4 qualification through this cadetship, gaining practical experience mustering, shearing, general stock work, tractor work, fencing, winter grazing rotations, and training dogs.

He then spread his wings for several years, gaining experience around Otago and Canterbury on properties including cropping, fattening and dairy bull operations, an Angus beef stud, and a sheep and beef farm before returning to Jeff Farm where he stayed for more than four years.

There he worked his way up to head shepherd and with the support of wife Jasmine, management and his tutors encouraging him to complete more papers, he finished Level 4.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is committed to developing sheep and beef farmers’ skillsets and is proud to financially contribute to every sheep and beef enrolment.

‘‘We have a long-standing partnership with Primary ITO and alongside our financial support, we offer resources and host events to upskill those in our industry,’’ B+LNZ South Island general manager John Ladley said.

First management role

Now Matt is stock manager at Central Southland sheep and beef operation Benmore Downs and looking to continue his study in future.

He says studying has given him goals and direction in his career and he recommends it to others.

‘‘The study validated what I already know and enabled me to go for bigger jobs so that I can move up. I really wanted to get into management and doing Level 4 helped me do that.’’

And moving up means the responsibility of managing his first staff member, Max McCallum, who is studying towards level 4.

Max says he’s enjoying the benefits of his manager having recently completed the same study. Max started Level 1 and 2 through the Primary ITO when he was at high school, the programme giving him on-farm work experience one day a week.

The biggest thing he got from the study was...

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