32 | Waipa: AG Drive REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Nothing like a problem solved AG Drive has been retraining New Zealanders impacted by the Covid pandemic into the Primary sector. Great opportunities often come from great adversity and this is certainly true for Cambridge based business AG Drive. Born amid the chaos of pandemic lockdowns, this agriculturally based driver training business came into being after the closure of NZ borders created a perfect storm for whole sectors of the agricultural industry. “AG Technology’s main business is about providing test and development services for German manufacturers of agricultural equipment,” says General Manager, Janine Peters. “They ship equipment and machinery, even some prototype machines, and we put it through its paces and test in conditions all over New Zealand. “We employ a wonderful team of hand picked engineers to do this work; they are very skilled and experienced in the work they perform.” In normal years, over the NZ winter, Ag Technology staff would head into Europe to assist their clients in the European harvest season – with the NZ borders closed this was suddenly no longer possible. These borders restrictions also created a shortfall in people taking up positions for rural contractors, who source a large part of their workforce from overseas. A casual conversation with a friend about seasonal workers not being allowed into NZ made AG Technology Director Andre Syben wonder about the possibility of retraining new Zealanders impacted by the Covid pandemic into the Primary sector. After discussions with the team a new business was created – AG Drive . In that very first lockdown, AG Technology’s staff created complete courses aimed at training people with little to no knowledge of tractors and farm machinery to be able to operate safely and with a degree of confidence . A contract with MSD to supply training to people who had been made redundant or were already unemployed secured a steady flow of trainees. Janine says, this win-win situation, was a perfect response to the challenges COVID had Sue Russell Practical training for tractor, machinery & motorbike operators. Funded courses to suit all skill levels and situations. 0508 AG DRIVE (24 37483) paulasyben@agtechnz.com www.agdrive.co.nz Contact: James (Jim) Findlay 027 287 2886 | james@agsafe.nz Ray Harris 027 610 1101 | admin@agsafe.nz P.O Box 4404 Hamilton 3247 | www.agsafe.nz | AgSafe NZ AgSafe NZ Ltd. rural safety consultants Specialising in rural safety wrought on the sector. It was a big learning curve for both students and AG tech staff alike, but there were some great outcomes with around 70 percent of students trained placed into work. “We have a lot of rural contractor contacts through our main testing work, so we were able to find jobs to place students in, matching potential employees with work, giving them the chance to feel valued in their new employment, while meeting a desperate shortage of contracting staff at this time.” Asked how the Engineers found shifting from testing machines to being teachers Janine says they took it in their stride, and were the key to making this business a success. After a couple of weeks in the new role, they were enjoying the challenge, and the results were rewarding. Conversations with Primary ITO led to new courses being created that offer NZQA unit standards, and ultimately led to new micro-qualifications in operating machinery being developed. “Primary ITO find people who are already working in Agriculture but need upskilling and they get sent through to our courses. “At the moment the Government is offering the courses through their tertiary arm as fees -free, as long as appropriate eligibility criteria is met . AG Drive also offers private enterprise user-pays training and when group training is involved will travel to sites all over New Zealand . In the two years since its inception, AG Drive has grown to now employ 5 full time specialist tutors. All of these staff have extensive experience in the agricultural industry and can adapt their teaching methods to ensure all students get the best possible experience each and every time. A recent agreement with Fieldays NZ will see AG Drive move all of their training to the Fieldays Mystery Creek site. With more room and purpose built facilities, AG Drive is looking to expand its offerings further to include such things as team building and training days for corporates where people can reconnect after the chaos of the last two years to have some fun. “We have big plans. It has become a bit of a passion to get people trained in Agriculture and Horticulture and there have been some wonderful stories of success so far,” says Janine. “I think the future is looking really exciting. With what we have achieved so far and the sectors we support, I’m very confident this business will grow from strength to strength.” “We have a lot of rural contractor contacts through our main testing work, so we were able to find jobs to place students in.”
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