The Board of AgriFood Skills Australia took several important steps in reviewing and implementing improved governance arrangements, including the implementation and adoption of a revised Constitution and a restructure of the Board itself.
The company Constitution was amended (July 2007) chiefly to reduce the number of directors from 14 to nine. This change to board membership came into effect on 17 July 2008 with the resignation of eight directors (see list below) and the appointment of three new directors:
The Board approved the appointment of Company Members as an important contributory tier of company operations. The new Company Members would be entities and not individuals - and would have a responsibility for providing industry intelligence and advice.
Importantly, Company Members can vote on the appointment of Board Directors at the company’s Annual General Meeting.
The Board considered that Company Members would contribute to the shaping of the company’s development and its performance in serving the industry. They in turn would enjoy membership status in a company that had a growing reputation and profile and had broad national responsibilities for enterprise and industry capacity building.
Company membership reflected AgriFood’s industry-driven charter, diversity and national focus. Organisations invited to become members would have a ‘fit’ with AgriFood Skills Australia’s management and operational culture and its broader industry role and objectives.
During the year, the Board approved the addition of 20 new Company Members, taking the full complement of Company Members to 37, including 17 current and former company directors. The offers and appointments were carried over to the next reporting period (2009-10).
Criteria for membership
Members are to be entities and not individuals
Entities are to be engaged in various sectors of the agrifood industry
Entities should have an affinity with skills and workforce development for the agrifood industry, education, training, research and innovation
Backgrounds, affiliations and core interests of entities broadly align to AgriFood’s role, directions and priorities
The company maintains five industry advisory standing committees:
Committees are regarded as key company and industry stakeholders with a valuable contribution to make on issues like industry skills and workforce innovation and reviews of training products and services, including training packages.
During 2008-09 the Board reviewed the role and composition of these committees (beginning the process in 2007-08) to reflect the company’s expanded role and changed governance arrangements. These enhanced arrangements were designed to lift the profile of industry advisory standing committees to ensure their relevance to informing the company’s future directions.
The changes aimed to create a stronger industry voice in company activities for peak industry organisations and enterprises with a broader role in supporting work the company undertakes. Advisory standing committees now meet up to four times a year with committee chairmen reporting twice a year to the Board on committee performance and projects.
Two members of standing committees are now selected to sit on the Board selection committee under a revised company Constitution.
Separate consulting arrangements were put in place for state training authorities and state-based industry training advisory bodies. Work continued on a reference group of registered training organisations (RTOs). These arrangements are designed to provide the company with access to the best possible advice from industry stakeholders to advance a strategic agenda for promoting skills and workforce development across all agrifood industry sectors.
AgriFood Skills Australia was established in May 2004 as the Agri-Food Industry Skills Council, as the peak body for skills and workforce development in the agri-food industry in Australia. It was established by the Australian Government to develop and deliver industry-driven training and skills development products and services across all agri-food industry sectors.
Council structure and the process used for the continuous improvement of training packages (pdf)
The council’s strategic intent is to improve the business performance of the agri-food industry through the development and implementation of innovative skill and workforce solutions. It operates in partnership with its industry, enterprise and government stakeholders to address the skills and workforce issues facing industry and to refine, simplify and implement high-quality, nationally recognised training products and services that serve industry needs.
The council operates as a registered private company. The council receives its core funding form the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and competes for other funding from industry and government programs.