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n 2012 Villa invested in training by opening the Villa Academy.
Over time Villa realised that the training model they were us-
ing could be improved by Villa Academy becoming a registered
teaching institution and obtaining accreditation for its training
courses.
Villa realised that they needed a partner and in 2017 they joined
forces with Monash South Africa (MSA). MSA is a leading interna-
tional private higher education provider in South Africa, with stu-
dents from more than 65 countries. They are well known for their
exceptional academic quality and the success of their students.
According to Dr André Schreuder (former CEO and current Villa
consultant), who addressed guests at the launch of this partnership
in November last year, a total new approach to training in South
African agriculture is needed. ‘A lot of the industry bodies spend
a lot of time on farm worker training, but there is no career devel-
opment path with this approach. To have an agricultural degree is
acceptable, but we need applied training that includes practical and
management training,’ he said.
He strongly believes that we should stop accepting the status quo
and start to apply disruptive thinking. ‘Everybody believes training
is the responsibility of the government. We need to do it ourselves.
Stop complaining that agriculture is not up to standard.’
You don’t need the expensive infrastructure of agricultural colleges
for training. ‘A university in the Netherlands uses a different train-
ing model: Contract your lecturers, instead of using permanent lec-
turers; make use of distance learning – everything does not have
to happen in a classroom; use commercial producers’ land and
knowledge – you don’t need your own in-house farm to do training
on; use practical experience at the workplace and study and work at
the same time,’ he explained.
According to Schreuder, the best training model for South African
agriculture is to finish Grade 12, following which one can make use of
distance learning, while attending contact sessions and completing
farmspecific projects. One then repeats the process of distance learn-
ing. ‘The traditional approach to training (where you finish Grade 12,
go to university/college and then start working)
is not relevant anymore,’ he said. The second
part of the model is to attain technical and
management skills required to make an immediate difference in
the workplace.
Schreuder concluded his presentation by highlighting the advan-
tages of the Villa/MSA partnership, where an internationally recog-
nised higher education provider and industry role-player joins forces
to make a difference in training and skills-based learning. The focus
of the partnership is specifically on supporting people working in
the agricultural sector to increasingly provide better access to train-
ing, through accredited courses, certificates, diplomas and degrees.
Villa has a network in local agriculture as well as access to Winfield
via Land O’Lakes, which, combined with the initiatives of MSA,
complement each other.
He emphasised the importance of creating a ‘home’ for our lecturers
in an academic institution, so that we can utilise their experience
and build the next generation for the agricultural industry. ‘We have
highly experienced people in this industry, but we need many more
for growth and sustainability.’
‘Bridging the agricultural skills gap’
‘According to the 2017 World Economic Forum Report the skills
gap at secondary school level is huge. Secondary school graduates
do not possess, on average, the skills employers demand from a
productive workforce. Industry entrants fresh out of university often
require inordinately long adjustment periods and upskilling in order
to cope with the challenges of the workplace,’ Dr Charlie Reinhardt
(dean, Villa Academy) said.
Dr Reinhardt added that the partnership between Villa and MSA will
go some distance to bridging not only the funding gap, but also the
skills gap.
Prof Alwyn Louw (chief executive officer and president, MSA)
elaborated on MSA’s growth strategy to build a comprehensive
institution and relevant business model for South Africa. ‘The four
parts of the model consist of: Diversifying qualification types and
products, appealing to a wide range of students (including working
professionals), expand executive education programmes to new ge-
ographic locations in South Africa and reaching into South Africa and
Africa with training enhanced through online/distance-based sup-
port,’ he explained.
Prof HB Klopper (director: Executive Education and Short Learn-
ing Programmes, MSA) said that through the future training agenda
they want to create more awareness of the vast number of agri-
business and entrepreneurship careers that exist along the entire
food and nutrition value chain. The measure of success is
the impact of training undertaken, with a view of making a
difference in the country.
‘A distorted image of agriculture as an academic dis-
cipline and career, as well as career guidance that is
very limited or totally lacking in some instances, are
two of the social cultural barriers in South Africa hin-
dering access to agricultural education and training,’
Prof Klopper concluded.
103
March 2018
RELEVANT
Product information
RUTH SCHULTZ,
SA Graan/Grain
editorial team
In front is Corné Louw (senior economist, Grain SA),
Dr André Schreuder and Dr Charlie Reinhardt. At the
back is Dan Hennessy (CEO, Villa), Prof HB Klopper and
Prof Alwyn Louw.