Riverina Food and Wine Technology Centre
In this case study industry and TAFE NSW - Riverina Institute worked together to establish a Technology Centre to cater for the needs of a highly competitive regional industry. The Centre provides flexible customised training and services for the local food and wine industry. The industry is changing and future pressures from rapid expansion and global exports/imports mean the partnership now has an opportunity to move to a new level of partner commitment.
The Food and Wine Centre is in a transition phase now having moved from a participating phase to a phase of consolidation and analysis in terms of ‘what next’
The Riverina Wine and Food Technology Centre was initiated as a result of a significant expansion in food and wine related industries in the Riverina and surrounding regions. Industry representatives approached TAFE NSW - Riverina Institute seeking a solution to growing industry training needs. Industry gave no clear direction on what was required, allowing an open-ended exploration of options that resulted in the Riverina Wine and Food Technology Centre.
Impetus
Immediate industry needs centred on the introduction of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, or HACCP legislation and changes to OH&S legislation. This provided the impetus for industry to consider collaborating with TAFE NSW. The $3.2 million centre was successfully established through the collaborative efforts of committed representatives from regional wine and food industries, TAFE NSW - Riverina Institute and the broader local community. The Food and Wine Centre provides a number of successful services to the local industry including laboratory testing, a food safety consultancy, Occupational Health and Safety consultancy and audit service.
Cultural Match
Contracting an independent person to develop a business plan has developed a shared vision for the Centre. The business plan drew on the business plans of the companies involved ensuring a strategic match between the Centre and the companies. This has also given the companies a sense of ownership in the Centre. Using an independent person to develop the business plan helped to build trust amongst the partners as the process was considered open and all views and needs were deliberated.
Credibility
The Centre employs specialist staff that work in industry and often draws on industry specialists to give tutorials. The Centre’s manager spends most of the time liaising with different companies to identify training needs and how, when and where it is to be delivered. Most training is provided on-the-job and Riverina Institute has developed a group of people who can go with credibility into the workplace. The amount of hands on training the faculty is involved in has decreased while involvement in assessment, resource customisation and quality assurance has increased.
The trainers’ personal networks and their demonstration of competence when visiting workplaces have increased work for the Riverina Institute. Feedback is constantly sought from industry partners so that training can be updated and changed according to industry needs and trends.
Ownership
Industry ownership is reinforced through an Industry Reference Group that is principally responsible for driving the agenda and direction of activities at the Centre. The Industry Reference Group, which meets on a quarterly basis, includes representatives from wine and food related industries, regional high schools, Griffith City Development Corporation as well the Campus Manager and Centre staff. The challenge here is to ensure that industry representatives rather than educationalists and bureaucrats direct the meetings. This involves ensuring that VET jargon is minimised or removed from the meetings.
Two or three industry champions have been the main drivers. The Centre Manager has remained very flexible and adaptable to accommodate different needs. The role of the Industry Reference Group is under review as part of the transition process and a greater role for industry is being considered.
Partnerships naturally have a lifecycle that broadly has key stages covering the connecting or forming, participating, uncertainty, collaborating, and closing phases, and skill ecosystems being complex partnerships have the same broad stages. Most partnerships do not neatly follow any set progression but do generally move through similar stages.
The Food and Wine Centre is in a transition phase now, having moved from a participating phase to a phase of consolidation and analysis in terms of 'what next’. The Centre is refocusing on the next 3 - 5 years, exploring new opportunities, as well as maintaining current business opportunities. Riverina Institute staff are actively planning the progression of the partnership to the next phase. Involving industry in the planning will facilitate a successful transition.
Some new directions the centre will take involve more cross-faculty cooperation for the delivery of financial skills, metal fabrication skills and environmental skills. This anticipates a wider role for the Centre beyond the immediate food and wine skills.
Collaboration
The challenge is encouraging industry to collaborate more actively in this new phase. Informal forums with industry leaders are being planned to brainstorm the needs of both industry and TAFE to develop collaborative approaches. Riverina Institute will articulate their capacity and business imperatives clearly as honesty improves the integrity of the relationship. Partnership problems often arise when people understand too little about each other's organisational culture and priorities. Reflecting on the partnership to date, the Institute will enter a stronger negotiation phase and implement a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Communication
The Institute communicates regularly with the companies through site visits, reviews of training quality and via regular phone calls. Many of the trainers work in the industry and have ongoing communications outside of their TAFE role, leading to close relationships on a number of levels.
Success
Many partnerships fail because they cannot make the required move to a new phase in the relationship. Riverina Institute is in a good position to facilitate this move as they have a new Centre Manager and are motivated by the successes of the Centre. As a direct result of the collaborative efforts in 2003, the Centre won the prestigious NSW Training Initiative Award. TAFE NSW - Riverina Institute acknowledges that external recognition and local VET competition all provide compelling reasons to continue this method of working.
See also
Skill Ecosystems/Industry Partnerships | A-Z Resources
PARTNERSHIPS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (Research & Exemplars)
