Students learn essentials
Longerenong College students have been busy learning basic shearing and shed-work skills during a week-long course.
The course exposed participants to duties including penning up, picking up, skirting fleeces and wool pressing.
Instructor John Uebergang said the students were learning vital industry skills.
“We get a new lot of students every Monday and they’ve been really good,” he said.
“They’re a bit like sponges, they want to learn and they all work together as a team.”
The short course also includes how to correctly set up a handpiece and grind combs and cutters along with the removal of wool.
“There are a lot of farmers out there who still have a lot of sheep and are doing an agricultural course, it’s important that they know what actually happens in a woolshed,” Mr Uebergang said.
“For example, we’re showing them how to pull a handpiece apart and put it back together.
“It gives them a break from shearing and teaches them how a handpiece operates, which is pretty important.
“They mightn’t go on to do shearing but it’s important to know what goes on in a shed situation.
“Some will go into the industry, but it’s more of an introduction for the students.”