Education & training

South-west Victorian dairy farmers have learnt about the potential benefits of virtual fencing to manage herd grazing and movement, during a New Zealand study tour. Farm consultants Angus Drummond and Fiona Smith organised and led the tour of the SW Farm Business Discussion Group (SW FBDG) to Christchurch, New Zealand.

Students from Boort District School, Charlton College, Donald High School, East Loddon P-12 College, Pyramid Hill College, St. Arnaud Secondary College, Wedderburn College and Wycheproof P-12 College attended the North Central Trade Training Centre (NCTTC) in Charlton to sample the VET subjects available to study in 2024.

An unstoppable student duo from Cunnamulla State School has achieved a resounding victory for their community and culture, securing 1st place at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aspirations Programs (ASTIAP) Queensland State Finals ... Charli Pender, 16 and Heidi Jones, 15 ... collaborated on a painting representing the equity and excellence of First Nations’ students. The deadly award-winning artwork will now feature on the competition shirts next year.

Charles Sturt University is leading an important advancement in the Australian agriculture sector with an initiative that will enable a global on-farm emission calculator (Cool Farm Tool) to be customised for a region-specific focus ... The Cool Farm Tool is already used in 150 countries to estimate GHG emissions, soil carbon sequestration, water stewardship and biodiversity by tens of thousands of users, including farmers, crop advisors and agribusiness leaders.

Kristin Murdock. Women in agriculture in Australia are actively involved in various aspects of the agricultural industry ... The agricultural sector in Australia offers numerous opportunities for girls and women to pursue rewarding careers and make significant contributions to the industry’s development and sustainability.

Regional townships have a huge advantage over big cities in an ability to authentically inject a sense of connection and inclusion into the community ... when people know their family history, you will hear stories of enterprise, resilience, perseverance and bravery, which help fuel a sense of pride and family identity ... the research is quite clear. Children who know their family history have a sense of belonging, and in turn are more resilient.

Independent Member for Murray Mrs Helen Dalton joined staff and students at Yanco Agricultural High School last week to celebrate what has been a long and hard fought battle, the start of works for the girls dorm upgrades at the school. "For two decades the National Party did nothing about this issue allowing boarders to live in a sub-standard, Nauru-like detention centre like conditions": Independent Member for Murray Mrs Helen Dalton.

A record number of young cattle handlers from around Australia and New Zealand converged on Parkes for a packed program of learning new skills, competing and forming lifelong friendships at the Herefords Australia National Youth Expo ... the expo drew a record 143 young handlers aged from five to 25 from NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and a team from New Zealand Herefords.

Whether you are a coach of a junior sports team, president of a volunteer organisation, manager of a workplace, teacher or parent, an ability to coach and influence others is a life skill. Regional Australia has a long and proud history of coaching and influencing each other. It is how we get through difficult times together.

Two buses and a small truck are carrying the 70-member Sydney Youth Orchestra and an ensemble of assistants on a 10 day – 6 town tour, beginning in Dubbo, then Wilcannia, Broken Hill, Mildura, Deniliquin and finally Cowra.

Training fruit pickers using virtual reality equipment, employing robots to move fruit containers and wearing exoskeletons to support physical labour are all possibilities being considered by Australian berry growers to boost labour efficiency. Delivered through Hort Innovation and led by The Growth Drivers in consultation with berry growers, the research aimed to identify practical technology-based solutions to address one of the industry’s biggest challenges.

Shane Grover. On Tuesday 20th June 2023 Nhill Golf Club hosted the Golf Australia Nhill Primary School Tournament ... 30 students were selected by travelling Golf Pro Tony Collier from Dimboola Primary, St. Peters Dimboola, Nhill Lutheran, St. Patrick's Nhill and Nhill College.

Recent research reveals that school attendance in our First Nations communities is declining despite the continuation of the remote schools attendance strategy ... MCERA has reached out to First Nations education experts to invite  solutions towards a responsive education system that strengthens  First Nations culture and student engagement in remote Australia.

The Barkly Regional Council’s Youthlinx School Holiday Program has been extremely busy with a range of activities including basketball and volleyball whilst partnering with Build It Up Skateboarding and Dream Impact to deliver a boxing program.

Kwoorabup Nature School students have discovered and named a new species of parasitoid wasp while taking part in the Insect Investigators Citizen Science project. The Adelaide University run project involved 51 schools across Australia, also including Denmark Primary School.

What makes our region’s ecosystems precious? The “big picture” answer has been revealed with the launch of a world-first mapping product for all to explore and understand the different services provided by our ecosystems.

These school holidays why not see "what’s in your own backyard’ or sign up for a school holiday activity within the Hindmarsh or West Wimmera region. Hindmarsh Shire Council has a number of great inside activities for young and old ... Kaniva Link is offering several craft activities these holidays in preparation for the Kaniva Show entries this year.

The Wimmera Development Association (WDA) and Nhill Learning Centre have partnered for years to deliver homework club support for multicultural students in Nhill. The program is provided for students who may have English as a second or third language, or whose parents do not speak English and cannot support with homework.

Australia’s peak wool marketing body has welcomed strong demand for wool classing training at TAFE NSW Yass as the industry confronts a growing skills gap. TAFE NSW has seen demand surging for the Certificate IV in Wool Classing this semester, with record enrolments across a number of campuses in the region.

Food and Fibre Great South Coast released a comprehensive suite of interactive classroom resources designed to build school students’ exposure to Victoria’s diverse food and fibre sector. Drawing on a wide-range of resources from leading industry and education bodies, these free classroom resources have been selected and aligned with key areas of the Australian curriculum for teacher ease and direct student relevance.

Maldon Primary School students have decorated kangaroos for the Kangaroo Art Installation. This art installation is part of the Maldon Winter Festival. Students decorated three kangaroos using a variety of mediums. Students in all grades contributed to the kangaroo artwork.