L.PGS.2012 - PGS Leadership Team Member - BD

Summary

The PGS Leadership Group has been appointed to support the roll out of MLA’s Profitable Grazing Systems (PGS) extension platform. The PGS platform is based on following a supported learning model for extension and adoption. Supported learning goes beyond the delivery of technical information and supports producers with building skill and capability to implement beneficial practice change. The PGS Leadership Group involves consultants, advisors, and extension professionals that have experience across conventional and supported learning extension formats.

The PGS Leadership Group is in place to support the transformational change that the shift from traditional extension to supported learning requires. Supported learning involves the delivery of a series of coaching sessions that support skill development following the delivery of the theory or technical information. The coaching sessions provide practice and repetition in key skill development areas and the goal is to objectively increase capability and measure this through skills audits.

Objectives

To promote the delivery of PGS activities, ensure product quality and to support new deliverers. The leadership team is responsible for recruiting support for a supported learning approach to skill development and the impact of skill development on business performance.

The group are expected to defend the need for skill development and to clearly articulate the futility of trying to increase skills simply by lecturing to producers. There is also a responsibility to tell producers that skill development takes time, persistence, and practice. More specifically a message of management capability being a real limitation to business performance.

Key findings

The project has evolved to become one of the highest returning areas of MLA investment. A language now exists that clearly defines the areas of learning including awareness, feeder, skill development and practice change. Where in the past proportional activities were held to encourage producers to undertake skill development without any clear pathway this is not clearly articulated and promoted.

There has been a recognition that the major limitation to product development and delivery is the number of private providers, trainers, and coaches. MLA has developed off the shelf products and invested in the training and development of advisors.

Benefits to industry

Profitable Grazing Systems impact that participating producers, on average receive a return of $17.47/ha due to the adoption of management practices.

MLA action

MLA continues to deliver the Profitable Grazing Systems (PGS) program, supporting participants to have the opportunity to develop and practice skills with small groups of like-minded producers to improve business performance.