New gear to attract & retain shearers
In an initiative to help attract and retain new shearers in the Australian wool industry, AWI is presenting learner shearers with a handpiece and other shearing gear, subject to the shearer passing certain criteria.
Rhy Samuels started out in the sheds as a wool handler and presser before taking part in an AWI novice shearing course at Warren in February. He is now shearing full time and in June sheared his first 100.
The AWI project introduced two years ago enables new and committed entrants in the shearing industry to be equipped with effective tools for the trade, at no cost to the shearer.
The gear in the ‘AWI Learner Shearer Toolbox’ comprises a Heiniger handpiece with cutter and comb, hollow grinding check stone and pendulum, oil can and comb brush, needle and cotton, as well as a singlet and gear bag to store it all.
Thanks go to Heiniger for supporting the Learner Shearer Toolbox initiative – see its contents in the picture.
“The AWI toolbox provides an extra incentive for budding shearers to build up their skills and stay in the industry,” said AWI National Manager, Wool Harvesting Training & Careers Development, Craig French.
“The gear is not a simple handout; the shearer must first pass certain strict criteria, consistent across all states. But, if successful, they will own the tools at the end of their training in 6-12 months’ time.
“During the past two financial years, AWI has issued 420 toolkits to learner shearers working on stands. Pleasingly, the retention rate for these learner shearers sits at 95% nationally, meaning that 400 of those 420 shearers are still currently working in the industry as full-time shearers and only 20 have left the industry.
AWI trainer Grant Lester presenting an AWI Learner Shearer Toolkit to Rhy Samuels in May. Rhy works in Kyle Brown and Taniell Pokarier-Baker’s LuSid Shearing team based at Weilmoringle in northern NSW. Grant visits the LuSid Shearing team 3-4 times a year, which Kyle says the team looks forward to.
“The initiative has clearly played a large part in retaining learner shearers. Retention rates in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania are 98% or more.
“Furthermore, the feedback from shearing contractors is that they are pleased with AWI’s toolkit initiative and would like the company to continue investing in it in the future, which we will do.”
This article appeared in the September 2023 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.
