Leadership development is becoming increasingly important in the rural sector where continuing pressure on profit margins and increased competition in major overseas markets means that our farmers must rely on their own innovation and initiative to remain viable.

To succeed in this environment, our State must produce strong and capable leaders who have the ability to motivate and energise themselves, their industries, and their communities. These leaders will help take our rural and regional communities into the future. To achieve this they will require the skills of strategic planning, negotiation, lobbying, managing change, and team building.

The South Australian Rural Leadership Program (SARLP) will guide and provide assistance to those leaders already forging ahead in their industry, and to those who have the potential to become the leaders of the future.

SARLP will provide training to assist our future leaders to develop the skills they require to be successful. The program will work closely with other rural groups to maximise leadership opportunities for rural people.

SARLP is run annually and the timing of the program is varied each year.

Short video on the Rural Leadership Program

Objectives and Goals

The Program Objectives are to:

• provide an exposure to a range of specialised professional leadership development opportunities and experiences for people working in rural industries in South Australia
• energise new and existing rural leaders to expand their ability to stimulate rural industry and community development
• establish a network of rural leaders who can share creative ideas and promote opportunities for partnerships between individuals, communities, and industries.

The Program Goals are to:

• encourage and provide potential leaders with the skills, motivation and confidence to seek an active role in addressing current and future issues affecting their local communities and agricultural industries
• produce leaders who are capable of developing and articulating a shared community vision, have the ability to engender enthusiasm and commitment in their regional community, and possess a greater understanding of the concepts of community involvement in planning for their local communities future
• empower individuals to develop an innovative culture within their local communities, businesses, and industries throughout regional South Australia.

Participants

The program targets enthusiastic individuals who have the potential to stimulate creativity, wealth, and business at community level, and who are either already involved in activities relating to the development of their local community, or rural industry, or are looking for the opportunity to become involved at this level.

The program will select participants who can demonstrate their potential to be involved in a leadership role in rural industries and communities. It will be aimed at nurturing those community, industry and support agency members who are interested in making a greater contribution to their community and recognise the need for greater skill development.

Program Structure

The program will be held as a four day residential workshop with a further two day residential follow up session. Indoor workshop sessions, outdoor activities sessions and evening dinner and panel session will be held over the six days.

Program Outline

The program will cover a range of topics and skills including;

• personal and community leadership
• self esteem
• vision values
• communication skills
• team work
• mentoring
• problem solving
• decision making
• conflict resolution
• negotiation
• facilitation
• presentation

For further details on the course view the course brochure.

SARLP 2009 Course 10

SARLP will be held:

Session 1, 22 - 25 September 2009 (venue to be confirmed, Adelaide)

Session 2, 22 - 23 October 2009 (venue to be confirmed, Adelaide)

Click on the links below for further information on the program and application forms:

Course Brouchure PDF

Application form in PDF

Application form in word format

Applications close Friday 7 August 2009.

Program Fees - 2009

The South Australian Rural Leadership Program is funded by Primary Industries and Resources South Australia.  PIRSA subsidises each of the three outlined categories to help ensure diversity. The funding structure recognises the difficulty community based people often experience in funding employees participation in leadership programs, therefore the following three-tiered funding schedule is used.

The applicant nominates the appropriate category.

(A) Primary Producer or Land Manager

Bona-fide South Australian primary producer (ie a farmer/fisher, or a spouse, or a member of the farming/fishing family, or an employee employed in a management capacity whose operational support is integral to improving business & natural resource management of the rural business or wild-catch fishing enterprise, who contributes the majority of their labour to the enterprise and derives the majority of income from farming/fishing) and is able to supply an Australian Business Number for the enterprise.

Or

Land Managers who own or have management responsibility for the land, water and habitat of a rural or residential landholding with an area greater than 2 hectares.

Or

Land Managers who are involved in the management of indigenous lands.

$250.00

(B) Community Employee

Employees of community run and/or managed agencies, not covered in category A. The agency must rely at least in part on community financial or in-kind funding. (ie Rural Counsellors, Community Information Officers, Community Development Officers)

$800.00 

(C) Government or Private Company Employee

Employees of government agencies or public companies (or their subsidiaries) listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.

$1,800.00

Past SA Rural Leadership Programs

• Program 1 (16 - 19 March 1999: 19 - 20 July 1999)
• Program 2 (4 - 7 April 2000: 22 - 23 August 2000)
• Program 3 (5 - 8 June 2001: 13 - 14 August 2001
• Program 4 (25 - 28 September 2001: 10 - 11 January 2002)
• Program 5 (1 - 4 April 2003: 10 - 11 July 2003)
• Program 6 (8 - 11 June 2004: 19 - 20 September 2004)
• Program 7 (16 - 19 August 2005: 17 - 18 October 2005)
• Program 8 (25 - 28 July 2006: 18 - 19 September 2006)
• Program 9 (29 - 31 May/1 June 2007: 2 - 3 August 2007)

 
FURTHER INFORMATION
Lib Hylton Keele
Manager, Rural Affairs
Primary Industries & Resources SA
GPO Box 1671
ADELAIDE SA 5001
Phone: (08) 8226 0245
Fax: (08) 8226 0425
Email: hyltonkeele.lib@saugov.sa.gov.au