AFTER about a decade working in the printing industry, Jayden Westhead decided it was time to pull up his roots and jump into the world of horticulture.
The budding apprentice had always loved plants, attributing his long-held passion to his grandma.
After feeling stuck in his previous job, he took up an opportunity with the Agromillora Group in November to become a horticulture trainee.
Agromillora general manager Simon Robb said Jayden was one of three apprentices who recently came on board through a collaboration with Mildura group training organisation SMGT.
“We have multiple apprentices with SMGT, who have been very helpful with developing budding apprentices coming through the system in horticulture,” Mr Robb said.
“That relationship has been a really good fit for our business.”
Mr Westhead is completing a Certificate III in Horticulture through SMGT and has steadily been given more responsibility at Agrimillora’s Irymple nursery.
Working in the climatisation team, he oversees multiple steps in the development of the site’s fruit and olive trees as the company aspires to create more productive, healthy and resistant plants.
The traineeship opportunity saw Mr Westhead travel to Barcelona, Spain, in May to learn more about the company’s international operations.
“We spent two weeks over there, the whole time everyday working, going to the nursery, learning everything about all the automation,” Mr Westhead said.
“How they grow plants from the tunnels to the next section and onwards, what they do for their nutrition programs, pest and disease programs, just how they maintain everything there.”
Mr Westhead said an exciting aspect of his workplace was the business’s tissue culture laboratories.
The labs are capable of producing several million tissue culture rootstock each year for citrus, stone fruit, berry and pome varieties.
Tissue culture production creates uniform, disease-free and productive plant materials, and Mr Westhead said he was keen to continue learning to deepen his knowledge in the sector.
“To be going overseas to learn is huge,” he said.
“It’s a massive opportunity and it’s a big future as well that I see here.
“I still don’t believe it sometimes, to be honest with you.”
