masterclassMore than $300,000 worth of scholarships are available to support Australian horticulture professionals take their careers to the next level with the Masterclass in Horticulture Business.

The Masterclass was held for the first time in 2017 and more than 20 horticultural professionals from around Australia took part in the 10-month program, including Tasmanian Heather Huxley who received an industry-supported scholarship.

“For several years I have been looking for a course that would give me a skill set specifically for my industry. To have the Masterclass tailored to horticulture gave me the confidence that the outcome would be of great benefit to me,” Ms Huxley said.

The Masterclass was tailor-made for Australian entrepreneurs in horticulture with the expertise from the University of Tasmania, Wageningen Academy in the Netherlands and New Zealand’s Lincoln University. It is supported by funding from Hort Innovation.

The Masterclass was recently awarded the University of Tasmania Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology Dean’s Award for Development and Innovation in Learning and Teaching.

We are particularly calling on vegetable growers to apply because we still have several vegetable scholarships worth $10,000 each that will cover all the course fees.

These scholarships must be allocated by the end of 2017 to allow time for the selection process. We encourage anyone interested to submit an application asap.

The Masterclass runs for 10 months, and provides participants with business skills that can immediately be put into practice, including business strategy, marketing, financial management and innovation, and entrepreneurship.

The course is delivered online, enabling participants to work around the demands of their current careers.

Short engaging videos and supporting reading material is uploaded weekly so students can log on at any time to work through the material at their own pace.

There will also be live tutorial opportunities and interactive discussion groups.

This is supported by three face-to-face sessions, which include visits to businesses across Australia and the opportunity to learn from and connect with the horticulture industry’s current innovators and leaders.

What you’ll learn today, will add value to your company tomorrow.

During the program you will develop a strategic plan for your own company. By doing this, you will not only gain the latest academic insights, but you will immediately translate these into practical actions can be applied to your business.

Diploma
Masterclass participants will receive an accredited diploma in horticultural business from the University of Tasmania. The tailored diploma meets the Australian Qualifications Framework for education and training set by the Federal Government.

If you know of anyone in your workplace who might be interested please direct them to the web page for more information and use the contact details below:
c.l.knowles@utas.edu.au or hort.bus@utas.edu.au
Phone: 03 6226 7732