During 2008‐2011, the Australian Cotton industry faced numerous challenges when it experienced significant drought over a number of years, followed by crippling floods in late 2010, early 2011. These environmental aspects combined with a rapidly increasing demand from alternative regional industries for labour and a significant expansion of the industry regional footprint particularly in southern NSW. As a direct result of these challenges, the human capacity within cotton enterprises and agribusiness / service industries was significantly depleted. Industry had to do more with less to remain viable. To assist industry in revitalising this capacity, industry invested in the Professional Development Manager position occupied by Mark Hickman (Qld DEEDI). The position had a significant influence on the human capacity and professional development programs that focused skill sets to drive workforce development rather than knowledge creation.

Traditional extension programs were aligned to educational outcomes associated with the vocational education and training sector and a major effort was placed on building relationships with stakeholders that influence the state and national training agenda to ensure the cotton industry needs were addressed. Strategic programs created by this project resulted in the Cotton Industry being acknowledged in two independent reports as a leading industry nationally and internationally for capacity building programs. One review commissioned by the National Quality Council of Australia; (a peak vocational body) highlighted Cotton Industry use of skills sets to drive workforce development and industry qualifications. This was one of 4 case studies selected by the NQC to demonstrate to the Commonwealth government justification for significantly shifting the existing funding

arrangements from a traditional qualification competition basis to a skill set basis.

The second was conducted by Dr Mike Rafferty (Sydney University: for the International Labour Organisation United Nations) in an Australian review which investigated how the Cotton Industry was developing Skills for Green Jobs. A paper was delivered in Geneva 2010. The project provided numerous innovative products that are industry legacies. One legacy is the creation, industry endorsement and subsequent implementation of agriculture’s first best management practice accreditation of an individual. The industry award, Certified BMP Farm Manager, aka Diploma of Agriculture (specialise in Cotton) assesses and acknowledges the individual’s management practices and established systems to achieve and operate a myBMP accredited farm. The second legacy is the E learning platforms and

subsequent relationships established with AACC and Tocal College as a result of the Australian Flexible E learning Framework funding. This external industry funding that resulted in four online products for industry addressing OH & S, staff management, skills recognition and system evaluations of overhead irrigation systems. However, the experience provided invaluable learnings for the contextualisation, design and implementation of this alternative learning platform ‐ learnings that will be value added to in future projects. The third legacy is how industry has also fully embraced a new human resources module that was initially created by and then co developed by Mark Hickman. The module is included in the in the myBMP package and is acknowledged as a leading module for grower engagement.

Having a designated Professional Development Manager within industry has identified financial training subsidy opportunities and has created an ability to influence the national skilling agenda through the provision of industry intelligence. In particular, the cotton industry was one of the few agricultural industries to make the federal Enterprise based Productivity Placement Program (EBPPP). The combination of this federal (EBPPP) and state based Productivity Placement Programs (PPP) funding has increased the exposure of industry to vocational assessments through the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) ‐ an impact that has resulted in 54 people participating in the industry first RPL program.

In conclusion, the combination of close working relationships with industry and vocational stakeholders and the established strategies from this project’s activity have provided foundations for future capacity building programs. Revitalising the labour pool and technical expertise available to the industry is a long term process. However, project CRC 5.01.26 (Professional Development Manager‐ Cotton) has made a meaningful industry contribution.