Rural Retraining Foundation Skills

Need a new job?

We’ve got hundreds of jobs and would love to place you into one of them

Complete the FREE online ‘Introduction to Primary Industries’ course
Invited trainees can move on to do the 13-day live-in training programme and become “farm ready”
Start the new job we help find for you
Enjoy a rewarding career in the primary industries

Have you got what it takes?

No experience needed – just the right attitude!

Let's take a closer look at this skills-based training course

Rural Retraining Foundation Programme

We are living in a time of unique opportunity. Opportunity to redefine what we do, give greater meaning to our lives and discover more fulfilling careers.

Agriculture is the backbone of New Zealand’s economy and this industry always shines in an economic crisis.

COVID-19 has hit some New Zealand sectors hard and resulted in thousands of job losses. The primary industry has the opposite problem; there are hundreds of people needed to fill a diverse range of roles.

On farms, in food production facilities, factories and horticultural businesses – farmers and manufacturing operations need people NOW!

Become ‘farm ready’

Everyone has skills and knowledge which is transferable from one job to the next. We want to give you the skills and knowledge to be productive in the agricultural industry from day one.

We’re helping New Zealand get back on its feet by retraining people who want to work. Our 13-day intensive retraining programme gives you the foundation skills and knowledge to become “farm ready”.

When you graduate from the Rural Retraining programme, we’ll help place you into a job in the primary production sector, either on a farm or in a business which supports the agricultural industry.

More about our Rural Retraining Foundation programme:

13-day live-in training programme
Based at our training facility at Winchmore Research Station (mid-Canterbury)
You will be accommodated and provided with all meals at Pinedale Lodge
At the end of the training – you will have the skills and knowledge to work in the farming sector
Our partners will work with you to place you into a suitable job*
We provide ongoing support to help you (and your family) settle into your new lifestyle
If you love the rural sector – there are opportunities for continued training and to gain a Diploma in Agriculture.

*Disclaimer: while we cannot guarantee you employment, we have an extensive database of businesses ready to employ people NOW.

What will I learn?

The entire course is hands-on, practical and highly relevant and will give you an overview of many aspects of rural life enabling you to move into a farm-related job with confidence. There is a lot of knowledge that will come your way, but the academic aspect is simple and the focus is more about ‘doing’.

Overview of different farming methods
About animals, how to handle them, their behaviour, nutrition and welfare
How to use and maintain farm equipment and machinery
Driving and safe practices for the use of motorbikes, tractors and farm utility vehicles
Basic pasture measurement, pasture allocation, pasture quality
Health and safety including machinery, stock, chemicals and hazardous substances, on-farm hazards and compliance
Connecting with people, communication and communication styles, working with a team
Personal wellbeing and self-care, nutrition, wellbeing and keeping fit, stress and burnout, work-life balance, motivation and goal setting, working and living in a rural community
Specific skills to a variety of industries – dairy, sheep, beef, arable, deer, bee keeping and horticulture.

We’ve taken the best of traditional farming methods, combined it with best practice, to deliver practical and relevant primary industries training.

Meet our partners

The experienced team here at Agri Training are delivering the training, but we’ve pulled in our partners – AgStaff and New Zealand Dairy Careers. Together we have a combined history of over 30 years in the rural sector; in training and recruitment across the primary industries. You couldn’t be in better hands!

New Zealand Dairy Careers logo

If you’ve got questions… We’ve got answers

Who can apply?

Anyone who is committed to reskilling to work in the primary industries. You can come from any industry, but you must have an appetite for rural life and be willing to embrace this opportunity.

What kind of job can I work in after the training?

We have farmers and rural service businesses looking for all kinds of people. There are farmhand jobs on dairy farms, in cropping and horticulture, sheep, beef or deer farms, bee keeping, food manufacturing and within rural businesses which support agriculture.

What does the training cost?

We are committed to helping New Zealand back onto its feet and have a number of ways to support you into this training. Leave us your details on the form below and we will go through the options with you.

Do I need to move?

Some people taking advantage of this opportunity may need to consider moving into the rural area where their job is. We can support you in this.

What if I have a family?

We will look after you all. Our ongoing pastoral care is set up to support you all. There is help to get you through the training, and settled into a new job AND we will also support your partner and children, as you make this lifestyle change.

Rural Retraining Dates

Send us your details to [email protected] and we’ll send you more information about the next course date.