Southern and central New South Wales grain and cotton growers - and their employees - are encouraged to take advantage of heavy vehicle truck driver training and licencing courses being offered now as part of the AgSkilled program.

AgSkilled is a direct partnership between GRDC, Cotton Australia and the NSW Government, and was initiated to ensure the grains and cotton industries have a skilled workforce capable of meeting future challenges.

The heavy vehicle truck driver training and licencing courses will be some of the final training modules to be offered as part the AgSkilled program - which finishes on June 30.

Getting started

All funded training needs to start before the end of June, but participants will have until the end of 2020 to complete the face-to-face components of the courses.

AgSkilled co-ordinator Claudia Vicary says the three-year, industry-led AgSkilled workforce program had been successful in delivering a diverse range of training across NSW.

"I strongly encourage industry to take advantage of the courses on offer in the final months of the AgSkilled program, so both employers and their employees have the skills and training they need to be successful in their roles now - and into the future," she says.

The truck driver training and licencing courses are being run by Required Australian Industry Skills Education (RAISE) Training and will include competency-based assessment and licencing skillsets for:

• heavy rigid (HR);
• heavy combination (HC); and
• multi-combination (MC) licences.

Lessons learned

The courses ensure participants have the skills and knowledge required to drive a heavy vehicle safely, including:

• maintaining systematic and efficient control of all vehicle functions;
• coupling and uncoupling trailers;
• monitoring traffic and road conditions;
• managing vehicle condition and performance; and
• dealing with hazardous conditions.

Ms Vicary says the courses start with online theoretical training and are then completed with one-to-one delivery of the practical components

She says, due to high demand, there would be a limit of two participants from each company per course - with eligibility restricted to those working on-farm.

More Information: AgSkilled; Will Phillips, RAISE Training, 0434 106 141, will@raisetraining.com.au; Glen Till, RAISE Training, 02 9896 7587, glentill@raisetraining.com.au.

NOTE: For more information about other training courses currently being offered by AgSkilled.