Breaking Barriers! Wodonga TAFE Agriculture Student Finalist for Victorian Training Awards!
Friday, 6 September 2019
Congratulations to Wodonga TAFE student Paige Mountford! Paige has been confirmed as a finalist for the 2019 Victorian Training Awards for School-based Trainee of the year! Paige is currently working towards completing a Certificate III in Agriculture through the Wodonga TAFE, AG SCHOOLS program, all the while studying at Castlemaine Secondary College and working at and Ganado Greys.
The AG SCHOOLS program provides students with the essential background knowledge and practical skills required to complete everyday farming operations across all agricultural sectors. To successfully complete this program, Paige had to be proactive in coordinating and time-management in order to fit, her school, TAFE and employment into her busy weeks. A mammoth task for someone just starting out in their career.
Paige recalled her initial draw to the industry, “I chose this pathway because I’ve always loved animals, I grew up owning and riding Australian Quarter Horses, competing in camp drafting events around Australia. With Mum starting up her own sheep stud in 2016/17 I started to consider my own future options; [of] what animals I want to breed, and what I need to know and do before setting up my own stud.”
Paige is dedicated in her application of skills and knowledge the agriculture industry, with her training and family support network enabling her to start her own cattle stud, Jarradyne Murray Greys, which currently stands at four purebred Murray Grey Cattle. Having successfully shown her animals at a professional level, and has placed with her heifer at a number of shows, Paige has a long future within the Agriculture industry.
Paige has appreciated the balance of theory and practical work that comes from courses at TAFE and noted how her skills developed through the course and further instilled her love for the industry. Paige is keen to prove she would be a positive role model for both TAFE and the Agricultural industry if she won School-based Trainee of the Year.