I got to learn new skills such as how to crutch and look after the handpiece.
- Livinia Evans, Cooma
LIVINIA Evans is about to swap books for bales and shears for study.
Ms Evans is set to head to university.
Last year, Ms Evans completed a course over three separate weeks at Hay Inc.
Established five years ago in recognition of the skills gap for young people entering a career within the pastoral industry, the Hay Inc training program is now a proven formula.
The courses provide hands-on training modules that cover all the necessary skills of stockmanship in both sheep and cattle and farming skills.
It provides a baseline education/experience for young people to use as a spring board to a rural career.
Ms Evans attended the course via a $2000 Monaro Farming Systems traineeship.
The training was delivered over three training blocks of one week each during February, March and June.
A Cooma girl, Ms Evans said learning with other like-minded young people was useful and fun.
"Although I'd already got previous shed experience at Steam Plains (near Conargo) I got to learn new skills such as how to crutch and look after the handpiece," she said.
Hay Inc has gathered a reputation for not only practical skill development in young people, but also stimulating participants to further their study and careers in agriculture.
Hay Inc celebrated five years of the success of the program earlier this year with the Inaugural Hay Inc Rural Education Program Alumni Networking Event held at Shear Outback on the eve of the Hay Merino Sheep Show.
Speaking during the reunion, Hay Inc committee chairperson Chris Bowman remembered his time as a jackaroo on Uardy, Hay, and when he later returned as stud manager, there were 70 jackaroos on studs and sheep stations in the Riverina.
Mr Bowman noted there were only five jackaroos in the western Riverina that he is now aware of.
"The idea for Hay Rural Education, or Hay Inc as it is now known, came from several different directions and Sandy Symons (Hay Inc committee member) was concerned about the decreasing numbers of young people in the Hay area entering the industry," Mr Bowman said.
"Australian Wool Innovation has been the major sponsor and supporter from the very beginning and has done much to promote and recognise our work."