2009-2012 Professional Development Strategy and Implementation

Summary

Background
Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) is dedicated to ensuring the Australian red meat industry remains competitive,sustainable and profitable in both national and international marketplaces. In order to achieve this goal it is essentialthat the professional capability of the industry be continually improved and expanded.
The Graduate Program, which formed part of the Red Meat Industry Professional Development Program, has beendeveloped by MLA to increase the professionalism and innovative capacity of both individuals and companies within thered meat sector.
The Graduate program is a long term commitment by a company to the development and encouragement of youngprofessionals into the red meat industry. The Graduate Program is a three year program designed to assist companiesin engaging, developing and retaining university graduates. The aim of the program is to provide each graduate with abroad exposure to the red meat industry, in addition to gaining specialist skills and training which will enable them todevelop their career in the industry.
Activities
The project focused on delivering a strategic program within JBS for introducing professionals to the industryand simultaneously developing their specific meatprofessional skills.
The program provided graduates with the required support infrastructure to develop their own professional strengthsand work ethics during their first few years in employment and deliver the outcomes expected of them. This contractprovided the required human and systems resource to develop, implement, deliver, and evaluate a whole of company(JBS Australia) professional development program.
The following report is documented as a learning journal that describes learning experiences, challenges andopportunities.