WESTERN Australian shearing contractors are hoping a ‘Beyond the Shed’ program funded as part of the Federal Government’s live sheep export transition program will year-round work for industry workers.

The Beyond the Shed program has been officially launched in Western Australia, aiming to deliver new training and support to  strengthen year-round work opportunities for shearing contractors and their teams.

Beyond the Shed is an industry-led initiative designed by The WA Shearing Industry Association to strengthen employment stability for shearing contractors and staff by increasing their ability to access year-round work within their local areas.

It was designed and is being delivered by WASIA as a response to the Western Australian Live Export Transition Plan and is funded by the Australian Government and administered by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

The program aims to retain shearing contractors and their teams in regional Western Australia to support local economies and ensure the ongoing delivery of essential agricultural services.

WASIA said the initiative will assist contractors to diversify their businesses and coordinate skills training courses for staff so they can undertake a broader range of on-farm work, or even off-farm work with regional businesses. By having local, year-round work it will reduce the need for shearing staff to leave their communities in search of work and help contractors retain experienced teams, association said.

WASIA president Darren Spencer said he is hopeful contractors will achieve longer term work for people in the industry and to fill in the gaps throughout the season that makes business cashflow and employee retention difficult.

“We will take a group of 10-14 Beyond The Shed registered contractors every quarter so we can work closely with them to diversify their business and then coordinate training for their teams for the 2-3 years of the program.

“Our first round is fully booked and several shearing contractors have already undertaken business training with more at the end of the month. We are very pleased that they see the benefits and want to get  on-board,” Ms Spencer said.

Wheatbelt-based shearing contractor Tony Sutton said the program addressed a long-standing challenge in the industry.

“Keeping a good team together outside the main shearing season has always been difficult.

“The training through Beyond the Shed has given my crew options to stay working locally, which means I’m not starting from scratch every season,” he said.

WASIA said the launch of the Beyond the Shed program is a major step forward, “demonstrating a proactive, collaborative strategy to boost long-term workforce stability in Western Australia’s shearing and wider agricultural sectors.”