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Workforce planning and development

The future of work in Australia’s primary industries and rural and regional communities will continue to change. To prepare for what’s ahead, RMCG can work with our clients to plan and strategically develop a future workforce.

Technology is driving a demand for new roles and emerging skills, and it is also essential to upskill existing staff through capacity building and training as well as personal and professional development, particularly in the area of leadership.

When it comes to workforce planning and development, RMCG looks to understand the issues relevant to our clients and find approaches that enable people in an industry or region to have greater opportunities. We can do this using the following approach.

  • Workforce planning is a strategic activity which helps an industry or region to assess current needs, address gaps and develop its workforce to meet future requirements
  • Workforce development is a strategic approach which can include high level planning across the entire workforce of an industry or community, at both regional and national levels
  • Workforce development implementation covers the actions for attracting and retaining labour and increasing qualifications and skills of workers.

RMCG’s strengths in workforce planning and development include:

  • Broad experience and networks across many primary industries
  • Working with people at all levels, from individual businesses to community groups and national industries
  • Excellent understanding of the education and training sector
  • Listening to our clients and tailing delivery to their needs.

We work with businesses, communities, culturally diverse people, government and peak bodies at a local, regional and national scale. This means we understand the link between industry and regional workforce planning and business planning, as well as the issues associated with attracting, retaining and training good people.

Click here to find out more about the diverse range of projects we have worked on recently in the area of workforce planning and development.

Team

Donna Lucas

Donna Lucas

Principal

B.App.Sci. (Hons)

Donna is an agricultural consultant with experience in business management, research and extension. She is adaptable with an ability to contribute to projects at a strategic level.
Donna has specialist knowledge in workforce development and planning, resource recovery, carbon farming, greenhouse gas/carbon accounting and project evaluation. Her strengths include driving execution, building connections and problem solving.

Dr Doris Blaesing

Dr Doris Blaesing

Associate

Dipl.Ing.Agr., Dr.rer.hort.

Doris has extensive experience in agricultural business development, resource management and R&D. She has a good understanding of agricultural production systems and supply chains. Her strengths are strategy and concept development, innovative thinking, problem solving, multi-disciplinary project management and communication on all levels with a broad range of people. Doris worked in public and private research, education, export and agribusinesses.

Deb Prentice

Deb Prentice

Senior Consultant

B.A., G.Dip.Bus., Dip.NRM.

Deb’s key areas of expertise are in community engagement, facilitation and strategic thinking. She has experience in both public sector and corporate organisations and her relevant training underlies a commitment to build team and community capacity, sustainable health and wellbeing and improving equity and diversity. Deb has led regional and corporate teams, formally and informally, in community engagement and activation to reach decisions and efficiencies around strategic action planning, cultural diversity, performance planning, workforce diversity and inclusion and stakeholder mapping. Her experience in working with diverse communities including people with disabilities, Aboriginal staff members, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Communities to roll out programs and enable joint direction setting provide her with a deeper understanding into people’s values, experiences and needs.

Emily Tee

Emily Tee

Senior Consultant

B.Ag.Sci., Grad.Dip.App.Sci. (Hort), Dip.Bus.

Emily is a multi-skilled professional with experience in design, delivery and review of programs and projects in the environmental and agricultural sectors. She combines excellent strategic thinking skills with a proven ability to problem-solve and effectively communicate with colleagues and stakeholders. Emily has particular skills in relationship building and collaboration with individuals, teams and industry groups to lead and implement change and deliver on outcomes.

Clinton Muller

Clinton Muller

Senior Consultant

M.Sust.Ag., B.Bus. (Hons), B.A.

Clinton has extensive experience in sustainable agriculture, with a specialist focus on horticulture and intensive production systems. With a strong agricultural industry focus, Clinton has worked across a range of agricultural commodities and natural resource management issues in Australia and internationally.  Clinton’s diverse range of capacities including program design and management, stakeholder engagement, partnership management, monitoring evaluation and reporting, extension, facilitation, action research and science communication.

Dr Anne-Maree Boland

Dr Anne-Maree Boland

Principal

PhD., B.Ag.Sci.

Anne-Maree has 25 years’ experience in dealing with natural resource and water management in agricultural industries. This has included research and development and consulting in the areas of sustainable management practices, water use efficiency, recycled water and environmental management systems. Anne-Maree has been a Non-Executive Director for GWRDC and IAL, is a Churchill Fellow and recipient of the University of Melbourne Chancellors Prize. She has extensive experience as a knowledge broker and establishing partnerships with diverse stakeholder groups including government, water and agricultural industries.

Adrian Kennelly

Adrian Kennelly

Associate

B.Ag.Sci. (Hons), M.Ag.Sci., CPAg.

Adrian has more than 30 years’ experience in agricultural business and natural resource management research, policy, education and extension. He is a specialist farm business management adviser, who consults to medium to large-scale private farmers, agribusiness investors, agricultural industry groups and government agencies.

Adrian has specific skills and experience in strategic planning, business analysis, impact and loss assessment, facilitation, and training and education in rural Australia.  Adrian chairs the advisory boards of a number of family farming operations in south-eastern Australia and has undertaken due diligence exercises for several domestic and international investors.

In addition to this, his most recent industry project work includes the development of an Investment Attraction Program for Rural Councils Victoria, an agricultural impact assessment of the Western Highway bypass of Ararat and the development of a business planning program (Our farm, our plan) for the Australian dairy industry.

Dr Anna Carew

Dr Anna Carew

Senior Consultant

PhD., B.Sci. (Hons)

Anna has worked in senior strategy roles within government, and in the education sector in policy, communications and stakeholder consultation.

She is an experienced analyst, investigator, communicator and project manager across a range of agricultural, technical, educational and theoretical research areas.

Morag Anderson

Morag Anderson

Consultant

BSc (Hons), Dip.Proj.Mgmnt

Morag is an experienced project manager, with a great ability to synthesise technical information and communicate it to a wide audience.  She has a great understanding of regulatory processes. She also brings critical thinking and an awareness of individual differences and needs to projects.  She has a science background with a broad understanding of environmental disciplines.

Brooke Zuidema

Brooke Zuidema

Consultant

B.Env.Sust. (Resource and Env.Mgt.); B. Archaeological Practice

Brooke has a degree in Environment and Sustainability and Archaeological Practice and has developed an understanding of complex community and environmental issues. She is passionate about ensuring the protection of environmental and cultural landscapes.

Brooks studies in environmental resource management and policy demonstrate her ability to interpret environmental legislation, legal cases, and complex issues. She has written policy briefs, recommendations, and reports for government departments. Due to her exceptional university results, she was recommended by the Assistant Director of the Fenner School to participate in the Environmental Law Clinic program.

She has worked in and around heritage-listed buildings and understands the importance of cultural heritage and conservation as well as respecting community values. During this time Brooke has created Harris-Matrices, conducted hand excavation, field surveys using ground penetrating radar, as well as sieved, cleaned, and catalogued artefacts.