HARVEST · Armidale & Tamworth
Ready to Build Your Employment Pathway in New England?
Breaking into a new industry can feel out of reach when you don't have local experience, workplace English, or a foot in the door with employers.
HARVEST gives you structured training, hands-on experience and direct connections with local employers, so you can move from disengagement into real, sustainable work across agriculture, food processing and other local industries.
Helping All Reach Vocational Employment, Skills & Training – HARVEST
Funded by the Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) through the Local Jobs, Local People program, delivered through Workforce Australia in partnership with local employers, TAFE NSW and the Armidale and Tamworth communities.
What's Included
What HARVEST Offers
HARVEST combines training, mentoring and real workplace experience, so you build the skills employers are actually looking for.
HARVEST builds on Mosaic's REAP (Regional Employment Agriculture Project), an earlier employment pathways pilot in Armidale. Read the REAP Project Report to see the model HARVEST is built on.
Pre-Employment Training
Accredited and non-accredited training to get you job-ready from day one.
Certificate II in Agriculture
Nationally recognised qualification units in agricultural work.
Workplace English
English for agricultural settings, delivered alongside AMEP/TAFE NSW.
Vocational Tasters
Practical credentials like White Card and First Aid, where relevant to your pathway.
Hands-On Experience
Farm visits and site preparation, so you know what the work is really like before you start.
Mentoring & Support
Bilingual, culturally responsive mentoring throughout the program.
Employer Connections
Direct engagement with local employers, work placements and job matching.
Who Can Take Part in HARVEST?
Young people aged 17 to 24 in Armidale or Tamworth looking to build a career in agriculture or food processing.
People aged 25 and over facing significant barriers to employment, where there's demonstrated need.
Migrants and refugees with work rights who want local experience and employer connections.
Other disadvantaged job seekers facing barriers such as limited workplace English, transport challenges or low confidence entering the workforce.
How HARVEST Works
From Enrolment to Employment
Every HARVEST journey moves through five stages, from your first enquiry to a real job placement.
Enrol
Register your interest and complete a short intake and assessment.
- •Free to join, interpreters available on request
- •Delivered in small cohorts of 25 participants per tranche
Train
Take part in pre-employment training and Certificate II in Agriculture units.
- •Workplace English and vocational tasters included
- •Bilingual support throughout
Connect
Build relationships with local employers through structured mentoring.
- •Employer co-design means training matches real local jobs
Work Placement
Opportunity to gain work experience to secure long term employment
- •Practical, supervised, real workplace settings
Employment
Move into a job matched to your skills and local employer needs.
- •Post-placement mentoring to help you stay in work
Ready to Build Your Employment Pathway?
Whether you're looking for your first job in Australia or a new direction, HARVEST's team is here to guide you from training through to employment across agriculture, food processing and other local industries. Employers are welcome to get in touch too, to access a pipeline of job-ready local workers.
Free program • Bilingual support available • Funded by the Australian Government