top of page
Harvesting

Financial Support

What financial support is available for training and development?

As an employer in the food and fibre sector you have access to a variety of support options to help train and develop your employees. These options include government financial support, scholarships, bonding schemes, and industry grants. Here's a look at some options:

What government financial support is available?

​

  1. New Zealand Apprenticeships linked here:

    • Employers can access funding through the New Zealand Apprenticeship scheme which provides support for training apprentices in various food and fibre sectors.

  2. Regional Apprenticeship Initiative (RAI) linked here:

    • Aimed at regional New Zealand, this initiative provides financial support to employers to take on and train new apprentices, particularly in the food and fibre sector. 

  3. Mana in Mahi – Strength in Work linked here:

    • This program offers subsidies and incentives to employers who take on job seekers, including support for training and development.

  4. Ministry of Social Development linked here (MSD):

    • MSD provides several funding opportunities to pay for wages and training. This includes programmes that help job seekers get the skills they need to meet the requirements of a job, funding and support to help with short-term pre-employment or in-work training to gain industry-specific skills needed for a job.​

​

What scholarships are available?

​

Various organisations offer scholarships for students pursuing studies in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, and other food and fibre sectors (e.g. Don Hulston, MPI On Farm Support, Lincoln University Foundation). You can encourage employees to apply for these scholarships to reduce the costs associated with study. 

 

Industry bodies such as DairyNZ, NZ Pork and Horticulture New Zealand offer scholarships for studies related to their specific industries 

 

The Ministry for Primary Industries has a handy list of scholarship opportunities available in the food and fibre sectors linked here.​​​

​

​​How do I bond employees?

 

Employer-initiated bonding

Employers can create bonding agreements where they provide financial support for an employee’s education or training in exchange for a commitment to stay with the employer/business for a specified period. This ensures that the investment in training benefits the employer. A bond means that an employee would be asked to return any agreed upon funding for external courses if they leave within a specific time period (usually one to two years).

 

​

Example of a bonding scheme 

Employee Kate wants to improve her leadership skills both so she can be a more effective supervisor in her workplace, but also so she can contribute to wider industry initiatives such as her local catchment group. 

 

Her employer, Barbara sees the value in supporting Kate with her course. She offers to pay for 50% of the course for Kate. To ensure this investment is returned Barbara stipulates that if Kate leaves within the next 12 months she would need to pay back the 50% contribution. ​​

​

What are the additional support mechanisms?​​

 

  • Industry Training Organisations (ITOs):

    • ITOs like Competenz and Primary ITO provide tailored training programs, resources, and sometimes financial support to help employers develop their workforce.

​

  • Professional development programs:

    • Many industry associations offer professional development programs and workshops, often subsidised or at a reduced cost for members.

​​

bottom of page