Almost halfway for 2019 Hort Masterclass participants

by • NGI Updates

Friday, 14 June 2019

The 2019 Hort Masterclass is fast approaching the halfway mark!

Described as a mini-MBA, the course is an intensive 10-month professional development program for those looking to accelerate their careers within horticulture.

The course is delivered by the University of Tasmania, with input from international research providers. Every years, it brings together more than 30 individuals across Australian horticulture, including five from the nursery industry in 2019.

This year’s cohort will complete Term 2 on June 30, followed by a short break before their next face-to-face workshop in Brisbane on Friday, 12 July. Here, the group will tour Rocklea Brisbane Markets, before travelling to the Sunshine Coast to visit several horticultural businesses. The tour will finish with a workshop at the SurfAir Conference facilities, where selected students will present on their chosen assignments

One of the students selected was production supervisor at Yarralumla Nursery, Nathan Wells, who will present on his nursery gross margins assignment.

“The Masterclass of Horticultural Business has been valuable in addressing specific areas of skills deficiency, such as financial management and human resource law. During the course, I have undertaken a detailed gross margin analysis for specific nursery crops. The information generated from this analysis has been useful in production scheduling for greater profitability, which has informed decisions relating to investments within the business, for example, the installation of rolling benches in greenhouses to improve productive capacity per m²,” Nathan said.

Term 3 will officially start on Monday, 15 July, which will see participants cover four more leaning modules before wrapping up the course with a final two-day intensive workshop.

Completed modules

  1. Horticultural Management
  2. People and Culture
  3. Supply Chain Management and Logistics
  4. Financial Management and Law

The aim of the upcoming modules is to build on what students have learnt in the first half of the program, while taking a closer look at business growth and professional development.

What’s to come

  1. Horticultural Marketing and Communication
  2. Global Trends and International Business
  3. Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  4. Business Development and Strategy

About the Masterclass

Run by the University of Tasmania, the Masterclass in Horticultural Business is an intensive 10-month professional development program for those looking to accelerate their careers within horticulture.

Every year, Hort Innovation, together with industry levies and funds from the Australian Government, provide a range of scholarships for levy paying businesses to undertake the course, valued at $10,000 each. Described as a mini-MBA, the course is tailor-made to assist growers and managers take their careers and businesses to the next level.

It offers a flexible online structure, with three intensive face-to-face sessions, where participants will be able to grow their knowledge, study best practice business management styles, network with their peers and industry leaders, and upon completion – graduate with a Diploma in Horticultural Business.

The program equips participants with new knowledge and tools they can apply to their business, to boost performance and culture. It’s an important program to ensure staff and future industry leaders are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to grow their careers, as well as the industry as a whole.

To learn more about the Hort Masterclass, head to: http://www.utas.edu.au/tia/study/masterclass-in-horticultural-business

This global scholarship initiative has been developed as part of the Hort Frontiers Leadership Fund.