Business South October 2020

| 37 DAIRY INDUSTRY Oceania Dairy Building a strong team Oceania is a significant employer in the region, with over 90% of roles more technical in nature and very few manual labour roles. T from page 34 Building solutions ® ongas Vector Ongas for all your LPGneeds Proud supplier to Oceania Dairy 0800 84 12 12 vectorongas.co.nz “We plan to soon be running buses from Timaru or Oamaru to site and home again. It’s an initiative that has been met very well with our people.” Preferring to recruit staff from within the region, there are times Oceania Dairy has to look further afield to find the right people, including internationally when specialist skills are required. “We also connect with the community, schools and universities to promote the industry…” While Oceania’s Open Days showcase the sophistication of the plant itself, they also help to dispel the myths surrounding employment at the plant. “People can see we have fantastic careers in all sorts of interesting areas from production, automation, IT, engineering, supply chain, management and laboratory work. “We also connect with the community, schools and universities to promote the industry and the kinds of careers people can take up.” Oceania Dairy offers a university scholar- ship programme, providing financial assis- tance to help with studies, as well as offering paid work during the holidays. The hope is that at the end of their studies the scholarship students will consider a career with Oceania Dairy, working within their field of expertise.