Kia ora Koutou,
Our EIT fruit production team is hitting peak capacity with Chris starting the Post Harvest Diploma this month – please email him directly if you have any staff wishing to embark on this program, or do individual courses. Our first year trainees are busy chain sawing – please get them practicing this skill if possible. They will have their practical books for fruit supports and tractors as well that managers can over-write as their skills improve. Clare will be visiting all year ones through July.
Our year twos are studying soils with Steven – the practical aspect of this course is to be involved in any type of soil modification. They also have a two day propagation workshop for the block development course, where they will get a broad introduction to how most anything grows. If you are doing any grafting this year, do include them for some more experience. Year threes are working through Crop Protection, with Chris, and should have completed three courses – HR, pruning and complying with market needs, by the end of the month. We will be asking students who have not managed to do this, to re-consider starting new courses.
My apologies for timetable changes – we have had holidays to contend with, and now broken air conditioning putting classrooms out of action to add to my timetabling woes. After feedback from our survey, we are setting up a monthly newsletter to trainers summarising what students are working on, and any changes to the timetable.
Best regards,
Clare Buckner – EIT