A LOOMING shortage of shearers is exercising the minds of woolgrowers, as well as the Australian Wool Innovation.
AWI has earmarked $1,355,000 for shearer and shedhand training this year, a 34 per cent increase on last year.
Most of the money will go to training for shearers fresh out of shearing schools.
The schools, which normally run over two weeks, are government-funded. Trainees pay up to $500 to attend.
The big issue for AWI and woolgrowers is the retention rate, particularly after learners receive in-shed training as they build their tallies to at least 75 head.
That is when they are paid the award rate of $2.61 a sheep, rather than the daily adult rate of $195.10.
At AWI's recent annual meeting in Sydney, chief executive Stuart McCullough said the organisation still had much to understand about training and retaining shearers.
C&C would suggest, with AWI flush with funding, now might be the time to invest in a national survey or report into the state of the shearing industry.
The industry overflows with anecdotal reports of why shearers either continue to shear or give away the game.
While more attractive mining wages are often cited, there is also a new breed of shearer who does not like to travel more than an hour to a day's shearing.
Wages, age of shearers, preferences for type of sheep, shed conditions, provision of out-of-season work and how to attract young shearers are all issues that need to be canvassed.
C&C suspects that such a survey or report would also find that conditions and issues for shearers will vary from state to state.
Quick draw
THERE will be plenty of action in Kyneton next week.
Shearers will run a Quick Shears competition on Saturday, December 10, with $5000 up for grabs in individual and team events.
Quick Shears involves speed shearing of a single sheep.
The venue is the Piper Street Hotel and the event begins early afternoon.
