Scholarship program attracts new talent to dairy processing industry

Leading Australian dairy manufacturers are opening their doors to develop the skills of talented graduates as part of Dairy Australia’s 2013 Manufacturing Scholarship program.

Each year, scholarships are offered to six new graduates and diploma holders who are passionate about the dairy industry. The program aims to attract talented graduates into the industry, train them in dairy manufacturing and hopefully retrain them in the industry.

This year’s scholarship recipients will spend nine weeks in a number of sponsoring companies’ factories, including Murray Goulburn, Parmalat, Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory, Lion Food and Drinks, Bega and La Casa del Formaggio.

In 2011, 65% of scholarship winners were employed by the participating companies within a few months of completing the training. In 2012, this figure rose to more than 83%.

The scholarship involves a comprehensive training program at the National Centre for Dairy Education Australia (NCDEA), which covers dairy chemistry, microbiology and processing of milk into products such as milk powder, butter, market milk and cheese. The program is funded and managed by Dairy Australia and strongly supported by the dairy manufacturing industry.