One simple theme which has come up again and again when we ask Landcare members about their training interests is the desire to learn basic skills they can use on their property – such as welding.
Knowing that the local Tafe ran welding courses, we decided to contact them and see whether we could arrange a course just for Landcare members. Much to our delight, Tafe were very happy to arrange a special Landcare welding course – and even facilitated an application for funding assistance, allowing it to be offered to landholders free of charge!
The course brought together Landcare members from four different Landcare groups, building new friendships and facilitating lots of cross-group networking. The opportunity to complete the course in the ‘safe’ environment of a Landcare group encouraged many women to participate, and we were pleased that over half the participants in our first course were women!
We are now looking at additional courses Tafe offer, and how we can bring together groups of Landcare members to complete the courses together. Even without the benefit of funding to cover course fees, we believe the opportunity to learn new skills with like-minded people is a key factor in attracting members to enrol.
