The Marcus Oldham Centre for Professional Development (CPD) has been launched, bringing together the College’s postgraduate and short course offerings under one banner.
Director David Cornish says the CPD provides a focus and interface for the College’s community engagement commitment.
“ The CPD is playing a key role in addressing the many issues that impact on agriculture and rural communities. We are delivering postgraduate and professional development opportunities that are relevant, engaging and applied.”
“Marcus Oldham graduates, agribusiness and equine professionals, and students pursuing further studies will benefit from ongoing connection with the College and access to our highly regarded leadership programs and corporate training.
“Through the CPD, Marcus will generate stronger and interconnected alumni and industry relationships. Whether seeking professional development personally or for staff, logging into The Marcus Minds Project (MMP) or listening to the podcast in a tractor or on a plane, there’s a growing community connected to the CPD.”
The CPD will deliver webinars, podcasts and seminars that focus on relevant opportunities and challenges facing today’s agribusiness/equine manager.
Marcus welcomed Nat Jeffrey as CPD Coordinator in January. Nat has come from 13 years at Gordon TAFE, starting as a teacher before moving into senior management roles.
“As both Education Manager and later Business Manager at Gordon TAFE, I’ve merged my expertise in coordinating short courses and educational programs with a keen understanding of governance, business objectives, and educational standards.”
Already the CPD is adding value, running its annual Rural Leadership Program in May and a second program in August, which is fully subscribed.
In May, Alumni and postgraduate students attended two courses at the College with DR Pat Apperson, a facilitator in commodity hedging and agribusiness sales short courses from Clemson University in South Carolina.
Esteemed Professor of Sustainable Agriculture, Richard Eckard from The University of Melbourne, is the guest speaker at October’s Marcus Oldham CPD Forum in Melbourne. His research focuses on sustainable agricultural production, with a recent focus on carbon neutral agriculture and options for agriculture to respond to a changing climate.
As part of the Carbon Farming Outreach Program, the CPD, and the Grower Group Alliance, deliver training on the carbon market, on how farmers can integrate low emission technologies into their farming and land management practices. It is anticipated this will be available in 2025.
To learn more about the CPD and the short courses it will offer, please click here.
A version of this article was originally published in Issue 53 of the Marcus Oldham College Old Students Association Magazine which you can read here.