The Food and Fibre Careers Conference, to be held at Timboon and Dunkeld, will bring together metropolitan and regional careers practitioners with industry representatives to learn about what agriculture has to offer. The conference starts on Thursday with an afternoon tour of the Timboon Agricultural Project, which involves  students from Timboon P12 School in various aspects of agriculture to make them aware of career possibilities in farming and related fields.

It continues that evening with a dinner at the Royal Mail Hotel, Dunkeld, and a full conference program the following day at the Dunkeld Pastoral Co Woolshed in Dunkeld.

The conference is being run by local and metropolitan learning and employment networks.

Anne Murphy, executive officer with the Glenelg Southern Grampians Learning and Employment Network, said it would increase knowledge of careers in agriculture and the supply chain. 

“We want to have agricultural career opportunities in the psyche of all students, both regional and metropolitan,” Ms Murphy said.

“To do this we need to build the knowledge of teachers and careers advisors about the breadth of career opportunities.

“At the moment there can be some negative perceptions in rural areas, while metropolitan areas often have little knowledge of rural industries. 

“That needs to change.”