Careers & Education

Information for: Students I Teachers & careers advisors I Landholders I Useful links

Forestry is now emerging as one of Victoria’s biggest industries. Victoria’s plantation estate is the biggest in Australia and contributes around $1.8 billion to the economy. Trees are also playing an increasingly important role in the battle against climate change – they are fantastic storers of carbon, even long after they have been cut down and made into something else, and there are exciting new developments in the use of woody debris as a biofuel.

Despite this, the industry is currently experiencing a critical shortage of foresters. So for anyone considering a career in forestry, the timing has never been better.

This webpage is designed for students, teachers, parents, landholders, and anyone who wants to know more about forestry, and the range of careers the industry offers.

Students

Farm Forestry: A quick fact-finder for tertiary students (PDF 186KB) - This flyer has been produced by the Department of Primary Industries to raise awareness of farm forestry and its benefits amongst tertiary students like you. It is hoped that in the future you may consider farm forestry as an option in your professional pursuits.You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader (external link) to view this PDF.

The Green Triangle region (south-west Victoria and south-east South Australia) includes about 150,000 hectares of bluegum (hardwood) plantation estate. Full-scale hardwood harvesting will begin later this year and will reach full capacity by 2011, with an expected production of 7.5 million tonnes of woodchip each year. This in turn will equate to up to 1000 new and ongoing positions for skilled workers.

So, whether your interest is in growing trees, operating machinery, driving a truck, practicing a trade, marketing timber products, making furniture or calculating carbon, there are jobs to suit every interest.

The Green Triangle is also the place for forestry education and training, offering everything from certificate level training right through to a tertiary degree qualification.

• Vocational Education & Traning (VET) options
  There are many forestry related certificate level courses that can be completed through VET as part of the Forest and Forest Products Training Package (external link). You must let your VET coordinator know if you are interested in any of these courses – they only run when there are enough students to fill a class. Talk to your careers counsellor or VET coordinator about the VET options at your school.

• South West TAFE (external link) is the training provider for VET in forestry in south-west Victoria. Go to the 'Getting started' section for information on enrolling in a VET course at South West TAFE or phone 03 5551 4144.
  

• Logging Investigation and Training Association (LITA) is a Registered Training Organisation based in Mt Gambier, South Australia. LITA offers a range of certificates from the Forest Products Training Package and specialises in harvesting and haulage training.
  Ph: 08 8735 1474
  Email: lita@seol.net.au

• Timber Training Creswick (external link) offers certificate level training across all forest industry sectors.

• Melbourne University's School of Forest and Ecosystem Science (external link) offers an Associate Diploma in Forest Management and a Master of Forest and Ecosystem Science. Both are delivered from the university's Creswick campus.

• Southern Cross University offers a Bachelor of Applied Science (Forestry). Based in Lismore NSW, this course can be completed in Mt Gambier through distance education with intensive residential periods. For a brochure describing this course, please visit www.scu.edu.au/enviroscience

• Curriculum Resource
  Farm Forestry - Trees at Work
  This resource for schools is about productive tree growing on farms and provides a new way for students to explore the changes that are occurring in forestry and rural land management. A CD of this resource is available by calling the Customer Service Centre on 136 186. DPI also provides professional development training to support this resource. To find out more contact:
  Jim Mead, Landlearn
  Email: jim.mead@dpi.vic.gov.au

• VET
  Grow Your Career (external link): Check out ForestWorks’s new website with all the latest information on the Forest and Forest Products Industry Training Package.

• New forestry careers DVD
  A new skills resource to ease wood and paper industry skills shortage - launched at the AusTimber Careers Conference (March 2008) in Mount Gambier, SA.
  'Reach for the SKIES' is a valuable resource for careers advisers, employers, potential employees as well as organisations assisting school leavers to access training and employment.
  The DVD showcases interviews with young people working in the industry, talking about their experiences.
  Complementary copies of the DVD are available by contacting the National Association of Forest Idustries on (02) 6285 3833.

• The Australian Master TreeGrower Program (external link) - supports farmers who want to grow and manage trees for both conservation and profit, and the extension agents, scientists, industry members and agency staff who work with them.

• Farm Forestry - Training provides information to help potential farm foresters seek out the appropriate training which will help them achieve their own goals.

• My future - industry career information service: forests and forest products

• ForestWorks - National skills company for the forestry and forest products, furnishing and pulp and paper industries. Features industry profiles and forestry job search function.

• Australian Forests - a national portal for forestry education in Australia, bringing together resources and information from all States and Territories.

• Plantations 2020 - publications and key facts about Australia's plantation industry.

• Green Triangle Regional Plantation Committee – coordinating body for the industry in the south west of Victoria and the south east of South Australia.

• NRMjobs - advertises job vacancies and other opportunities in the environment, water and natural resource management field in Australia and New Zealand.

• EnviroJobs - a weekly employment service for positions in the natural resources and environment management fields.