Cotton Australia have announced they will relaunch their Cotton Gap program, which sees growers host school leavers on farm.
The program was first launched in 2017 but did not run last year, as drought and reduced water allocations led to the 2019/2020 Australian cotton crop being the lowest planted since the 1980s.
But, after widespread rain the outlook for next season's cotton crop is looking brighter. Additionally, the closure of international borders due to COVID-19 means there are thousands of school-leavers who had planned overseas gap years looking for an alternative.
Cotton Australia Education Coordinator Jenny Hughes said Cotton Gap engaged with the next generation of workers, so the industry could secure a skilled workforce for seasons to come.
"This is a great opportunity for the Australian cotton industry to attract a new group of students to experience farm life and all it has to offer as a future career pathway."
Matt Clearwater completed Cotton Gap on a property west of Moree, NSW, in 2017.
He said came across the program by chance when visiting the Cotton Australia website for a school assignment on biotechnology.
"Growing up in Canberra, I had no exposure to careers in the cotton industry prior to joining Cotton Gap," Mr Clearwater said.
"I had read the sensationalist headlines in the papers and that's what my family and friends expected of the industry, but it's certainly much more sustainable than most people think."
Mr Clearwater said the gap year program set him up for a career in agronomy, which he would never have considered otherwise.
"After my time on the Cotton Gap program I decided that's what I wanted to be."
Mr Clearwater is in his final semester of a Bachelor of Agriculture at the University of New England and will take up an agronomist position in the Riverina at the end of the year.
Cotton Australia is seeking expressions of interest from growers to host young people on farm in 2021.
