PROMOTING its chartered agricultural program to the broader industry will be a focus for Ag Institute Australia this year.
The program was officially launched at the AIA’s national conference late last year and focuses on three areas of professional development – technical skills, professional and ethical standards and continuing professional development.
AIA chairperson Turlough Guerin said the organisation had accreditation for many years and was now offering a higher level grading at the chartered level, providing greater recognition for ag professionals.
“For the past five years, there’s been quite a bit of interest and some pull on the AIA board to create a higher level of recognition to aim for,” he said.
“The scheme still recognises continuing professional development, but the main difference with the new program is that it includes a timed exam on ethics.
“The program has been brought up-to-date to include core elements of integrity and ethics that expect you'd expect to see in a modern organisation in 2019.”
Program participants also need to meet minimum post-graduate qualifications or demonstrate equivalent experience.
This could include sitting on a government board, being involved in submissions to an inquiry or being involved in a significant industry project.
About 140 members will qualify for the new chartered qualification in 2019.
“We are now offering Chartered Agriculturalist to the broader agricultural sector, not just AIA members,” Mr Guerin said.
“We intend to raise the bar of professionalism”
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