BUSINESS training

does your business need?

Heading into 2026 and beyond, vegetablesWA is increasing its support across the training sector. Over recent months, our vegetablesWA/VegNet Regional Support Officer, Lisa Hasson, has been updating our database and giving growers a clearer platform to share their thoughts on the industry’s direction.

Words Joel Dinsdale, Quality Assurance Coordinator, vegetablesWA

THROUGHOUT this work, many producers highlighted specific training needs, and we listened. Their feedback has prompted us to refocus and begin facilitating the training they most want and need delivered.

In the past, I have successfully facilitated and supported Chemical User Training courses via my Quality Assurance Project. While last year, Chi Nguyen, Katrina Hill (via the VegNet 3.0 Project) and Helen Newman (Berries WA) managed to facilitate two dual language (Vietnamese/ English) Chemical Training courses to support producers.

The courses have delivered strong results, with growers earning VET Units of Competency and strengthening their skills in the safe use of agricultural chemicals. They also act as an added safeguard for the industry, given the chemicalrelated risks that all producers face.

But growers’ feedback is showing us it was time to expand our training efforts in 2026, not limit them to chemical training alone.

So, we’ve put out an Expression of Interest (EOI) via our enews and Facebook, as we want to hear from you on your specific training needs. If you have missed it, you can find it here: https://docs.google.com/forms/ d/e/1FAIpQLSduRg7jjGpTLxEM8F4ZIx6Q8JZZnZ4_ DyEMgGSNAM6mYWVQqQ/viewform

So far, we’ve had producers tell us that they would be interested in Forklift Training, First Aid and Chemical User Training.

Is that it? Are there more training packages other than those mentioned above, that you’d like to attend, that vegetablesWA can assist to facilitate?

We know that most businesses don’t have the staff volumes, resourcing and time to put all their staff through important training courses at the same time.

That’s why we want to provide leadership. We can lever our industry/producer contacts and create courses that can deliver on your training needs.

Industry group courses are brilliant. The feedback from previous Chemical Training courses has told us that the group sessions provide for business-business learning, fellowship and skills/knowledge sharing.

We know that getting the required quantum of trainees from vegetable producers to a course can be a challenge, so we are throwing this EOI open to all WA Horticulture producers.

In our February 2026 Chemical User Training course, the course may not have proceeded if it weren’t for the support we received from WA Citrus (specifically Moora Citrus staff) and Berries WA growers. Thanks to the growers that attended, who helped to deliver a informative course to upskill producers.

Got training needs for 2026 and beyond? Let us know, we want to hear them.

And if you’ve recently taken part in a training course worth recommending, tell us about it. Your insights could help strengthen the WA horticulture sector.