Career development and agriculture: We don't need a marketing campaign

The National Agriculture Workforce Strategy (NAWS, Azarias, Nettle, & Williams, 2020) is an ambitious undertaking that argues for actions to strengthen the workforce capability of the sector. It acknowledges efforts must be applied to (a) improve community perceptions about the sector, (b) illuminate pathways to the diverse careers available, and (c) offer young people entry level on-farm work experiences as ways to tackle attraction and retention issues (Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, 2021). The NAWS is an essential policy platform to improve attraction and retention of the agricultural workforce; however, the practical challenge is to translate its bold policy recommendations into initiatives that influence people’s career explorations, decision-making, choices, and actions. Generating public awareness and knowledge about agriculture is one thing, but affecting individuals’ career decisions is an entirely different matter. To design effective interventions to attract and retain staff requires a thorough understanding of how individuals build their careers, and the different factors that influence people’s career decisions, choices, and actions, and their job satisfaction and intentions to remain in a job or industry. The Vocational Psychology of Agriculture (VPA; McIlveen & McDonald, 2019) addresses these crucial aspects of career management. In this paper we outline the VPA and how it informs utilisation of the evidence-base of the scientific and professional fields of vocational psychology and career development. Using the VPA will enable industry to more effectively target resources to effect individuals’ decision-making about a career in agriculture, and move beyond simply campaigning for a greater public awareness of, and appreciation for, the types of work in agriculture.