Molly tackles farm and study duties
AT AN age where many students are starting to rebel against their parents, 16-year-old Molly Kruger might be considered something of a rare breed - she's keen to help father Jason on the farm.
Now she's been given the opportunity to take that one step further by being offered the chance to take on a traineeship while still at school.
Molly's parents, Jason and Linda Kruger and their family are employed by the Moombah Pastoral Company, which specialises in composite shorthorn Charolais, on a property 72km east of St George.
The Kruger's four girls - Molly, Tayla, Skyela and Lacey - were all brought up in the bush helping their parents manage rural properties.
For years the Moombah Pastoral Company has educated young people in agriculture and about the way of life of people in the bush, but new workplace health and safety legislation had the Krugers concerned.
These concerns were wiped when Molly, a Year 12 student at St George State High School, took on a traineeship with Golden West, who took care of all insurance, payroll and off-the-job training.
Jason Kruger said Moombah directors were "really positive" about Molly doing a traineeship two days a week.
"They realised recruiting staff to do stock work can be difficult, and by providing a training opportunity, they have an outcome of a productive worker," he said.
"Having Molly working at Moombah has allowed me to get more things done.
"Because Molly is a productive worker we can knock stock work over quickly and move onto other processes."
He said Molly had learnt about stock nutrition from professionals, strategies for breeding programs, about seasonal mating and helped vets carry out blood sampling.
She has also actively engaged in weaning and branding, operating tractors and other machinery, horse husbandry, stock work including branding, weaning, preg-testing, drafting cattle to go to feedlot to be exhibited at the RNA Paddock to Plate, drafting bullocks for meatworks, fencing, scrub pulling and development of feeding programs for maiden heifers.
Molly said working as a school-based trainee had allowed her to gain a formal qualification in a field in which she had great interest, while still completing her schooling.
During her traineeship Molly has been sent out to other properties for more experience on branding and other processes on neighbouring properties and to learn there are many different techniques and approaches graziers may use, giving her diversity in her training and illustrating differences in the industry.
For more information regarding apprenticeships or traineeships in your area, contact Golden West apprenticeships on 1300 650 775.
