IF you’re young, fit and keen to broaden your horizons, there’s probably an opportunity to enhance both your social and business skills in far away Canada.
With thousands of Australians having experienced the annual US wheat and corn harvests – moving north with contract header operations – the chance to acquire a taste of Canada’s booming agriculture at a time of labour shortages also may appeal.
That’s the view of managing director, Positive Perfection - Global Agriculture Recruitment & Training, Stuart Austin, who provides a free service to employees wishing to work abroad in Canada.
It’s been something of a long journey for the man who was born and raised into an Australian rural family, later becoming a head stockman on a Northern Territory cattle station within a few years of his year 12 graduation.
Broadening his CV by undertaking a series of jobs around Australia, including working on a 5000-head feedlot in south east Queensland, today sees Stuart Austin closely involved with the state of Alberta’s young farming organisation, the Future Agriculture Business Builders.
It’s not as though he’s unfamiliar with the outdoor career sector in Canada since he also has first-hand experience of work as a swamper/driller on an Alberta-based environmental and geotechnical drilling rig and presently as a farmhand on a seed farm in the state’s East Central district.
“This passion for travel and working in the agricultural industry inspired me to create Positive Perfection,” Stuart Austin said.
That aside, he says Canada is able to offer a broad range of agricultural jobs, principally:
• Beef cow/calf ranches and feedlots
• Mixed farming operations
• Fruit orchards and vegetable farms
• Seasonal and full-time jobs - from farmhand to ranch manager
• Skilled labour positions in research and development fields
As well, the point is made there’s the further incentive of being able to ski, travel and explore Canada in your time off.
Stuart Austin provides some handy guidelines for those between 18 and 31 who are keen to advance their way of life in rural Australia on the other side of the Pacific, initially by email contact when a resume and references should be submitted, later through a ‘phone hook-up.
To speed the bureaucratic paperwork the advice is to start the visa application process as soon as possible, also to register for the Work Canada Fully Loaded Programme.
Positive Perfection‘s web site (see below) details the comments of a number of employers who have taken on young Australians on their properties, often referring to their good hearted, easy going nature.
“They are well-rounded farm kids with rural roots,” one said, adding “We seem to be losing these qualities in our young Canadians.”
A final tailpiece from Stuart Austin who says he created Positive Perfection to help others to experience “once-in-a-lifetime opportunities” working and living abroad.” More details on: www.positive-perfection.com
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