SOME of Australia’s brightest young agriculture, vet science and agribusiness students will get a rare behind-the-scenes look at south-east Queensland’s red meat supply chain from this weekend as part of the ICMJ Intensive Industry Education and Development Week.

Twenty students from universities across Australia will take part in the five-day program, visiting the region’s leading beef and pork processors, feedlots, value-adding businesses and corporate headquarters across Brisbane, the Darling Downs and South Burnett.

The students were selected for the opportunity following the ICMJ National Conference and Competition in Wagga Wagga in July and represent:

• Charles Sturt University
• University of Queensland
• University of New England
• Marcus Oldham College
• Murdoch University
• University of Melbourne
• University of Sydney
• James Cook University
• University of Southern Queensland

Australian ICMJ team coaches Molly Greentree and Jake Bourlet said the intensive program was designed to take students another step further into the industry and expose them to the breadth, complexity and career opportunities of Australia’s red meat industry.

“Over five days these students will see the supply chain from a perspective that very few people get the opportunity to experience,” Ms Greentree said.

“They’ll be walking through processing facilities and feedlots, meeting the people making decisions in some of Australia’s leading red meat businesses and seeing how innovation, technology and changing consumer expectations are shaping the industry.”

Students will meet with staff from Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and AUS-MEAT, undertake training in the US meat grading system and visit Stockyard Beef before travelling to the Darling Downs, where the itinerary includes NH Foods’ Oakey Beef Exports processing facility and Mort & Co’s Grassdale Feedlot.

Back in Brisbane, the group is scheduled to meet with senior industry representatives during corporate visits including Hewitt and AAM before spending its final day exploring Teys Australia’s Port of Brisbane operations and Hilton Foods’ Heathwood facility.

The Intensive Industry Education and Development Week is supported by AUS-MEAT, continuing a partnership focused on developing skilled, knowledgeable and connected future red meat professionals.

“The aim is for them to finish the week with a much stronger understanding of how all the pieces of the supply chain fit together, but also with new connections and a clearer idea of where they might fit within the industry themselves,” Mr Bourlet said.

AUS-MEAT General Manager of Meat Standards and Training Services Ben Robinson said supporting ICMJ delivered mutual value by connecting emerging talent with the standards, skills and businesses underpinning Australia’s reputation as a trusted global supplier of red meat.

“A strong red meat industry depends on having capable people who understand not only their own part of the supply chain, but how the entire industry works together to deliver consistent, high-quality products to customers,” Mr Robinson said.

“ICMJ gives young people that broader understanding at an important point in their professional development.

“For AUS-MEAT, this partnership is also an opportunity to build relationships with the people who will become the industry’s future employees, technical specialists and leaders.

“We benefit from having graduates entering the workforce who already understand the importance of standards, integrity and continual improvement, while students benefit from direct access to industry knowledge, networks and career pathways.”

The week will also form the final stage of selection for the Australian ICMJ team, with five students to be chosen to represent Australia on a three-week tour of the United States early next year.

The ICMJ Intensive Industry Education and Development Week is supported by industry partner AUS-MEAT. ICMJ is also supported by foundational partners MLA and the Australian Meat Processor Corporation, along with a range of industry partners.

Source: ICMJ