Australian Rural Leadership Program (courses 20-23)
The Australian Rural leadership Program prepares participants to be leaders who can help shape and secure a competitive, profitable and sustainable future for rural, regional and remote Australia. The fishing industry needs leaders with knowledge and skills and access to a national network of graduates representing all rural industries, the community sector and relevant policy development areas within government. This will provide fishing industry leaders with the capacity to:
- develop and share a vision for their industry
- operate effectively in a national and international context
- establish strategic alliances and build strong links within and across industry sectors
- identify the competing demands for industry, government and community support
- understand the values, arguments and tactics of other interest groups
- deal confidently with industry, government and community leaders in Australia and overseas
- participant in shaping national policies
- identify and analyse the strategic issues affecting the future of the fishing industry.
Final report
The Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLF) has, since 1992, developed and delivered leadership programs that make a difference to individuals, organisations and communities that have a commitment to rural, regional and remote Australia. Since 1992, the Fisheries Research & Development Corporation (FRDC) has funded the participation of industry leaders in ARLF education programs to support ongoing industry involvement, development and innovation.
The ARLF’s educational programs have evolved over time in response to leadership education research. The Foundation’s programs have, however, always been based upon the offering of diverse experiences and critical reflection sessions. These are the two processes that shape leadership learning. The experiences and critical thinking processes provide the framework within which the Foundation’s identified leadership principles are presented to participants.
The Foundation’s commitment to ARLP and short course graduates is continued through their membership of the LEAD Network. It provides networking and life-long professional and personal development opportunities for all Foundation graduates.
This report, focusing on the fishing industry, demonstrates this success by showcasing the contribution of 46 Foundation graduates and current participants sponsored by FRDC and four other graduates who were sponsored by other industries and organisations, but who work in the fishing industry.
Project products
Capability and Capacity: Navigating leadership pathways in fishing and aquaculture
In a 2019 review of FRDC’s investment in people development, it was noted that significant variability exists across the industry in terms of leadership capability and capacity with most of FRDC investment focused on mid to higher levels of leadership (Lovett). While this past review is comprehensive, it is now 5 years old and pre-dates the ‘black swan’ event of COVID-19 that saw widespread disruptions to the economy, supply chains, and workforce, and has had consequences for leadership capacity and capability needs.
This project will review the current leadership development ecosystem, mapping relevant leadership programs, and identify potential opportunities for a diverse range of industry participants who will benefit from developing leadership capability and skills. Furthermore, acknowledging that leadership capability is not necessarily tied to formal positions of leadership, this project aims to identify different entry points for individual leadership development to ensure accessibility of opportunities. Any potential gaps in accessibility and potential new pathways will be identified. It is imperative that a lack of knowledge of learning and training opportunities to develop non-technical skills or low confidence levels to engage due to unclear entry pathways is not a barrier to any willing participant seeking to enhance their strengths and pursue an interest in making greater contributions that align with industry leadership capacity needs.
Our project combines a review of modern leadership definitions, theories, frameworks and practices, and through stakeholder engagement seeks to identify how these meet the context specific leadership challenges for the wild catch and aquaculture industries. Qualitative and quantitative research will be used to map and evaluate the current leadership development ecosystem for the wild catch and aquaculture sectors, identifying current pathways, recruitment processes, target outcomes, and the value and variety of alumni. Gaps in leadership capacity and capability will be identified and areas for potential changes investigated. Recommendations for improving return on investment in the existing leadership ecosystem will be made, including continuing development or improved integration of post program leaders into the industry. The current project has been designed to provide the breadth and depth of information that leads to practical implications for further industry engagement in leadership capacity and capability development.