Primary Industries

Agriculture involves the cultivation and breeding of livestock and crops that are used to support or improve human life.

The work of agriculture provides employment in five main categories:

• crop labourers and farm-workers
• livestock labourers and farm-workers
• agricultural equipment operators
• animal breeders
• farmers and agricultural managers, who supervise plan, transport, and sell agricultural commodities

While workers in the first four categories often learn on the job, it is not uncommon for farmers and agricultural managers to have studied things like business, agronomy, dairy science or agricultural economics.

New jobs are being created in ‘ag-tech’, a sub-industry using technological innovations to increase agricultural productivity and protect Australia’s food security.

Australian Industry and Skills Committee

AHC20116 Certificate II in Agriculture

This qualification provides a general vocational outcome in agriculture. The qualification enables individuals to select a livestock production, cropping or livestock context as a job focus or, in the case of mixed farming enterprises, both cropping and livestock.

Job roles vary across different industry sectors and may include:

• Assistant animal attendant/stockperson
• Assistant farm or station hand
• Assistant farm or station worker
• Assistant farm or station labourer