Here farming skills will be introduced, such as working with farm vehicles, fencing, pasture management, cattle, sheep, and technology. There will also be visits to local farms and industry.
Anyone is welcome to sign-up, particularly those people whose employment has been affected by Covid-19.
Based on this experience, people can then choose to continue for a second week on topics such as dairy, ag contracting, apiculture, wool handling, silviculture, horticulture, sheep and beef, and then a third week covering agricultural vehicles and health and safety.
This has the potential to lead to workplace training with the Primary ITO, or the opportunity to continue further training with an Institute of Technology and Polytechnic, such as UCOL or EIT.
UCOL Wairarapa Director Berni Pothan is appreciative of the huge amount of community and industry effort that has gone into making this happen.
"Together with EIT we are keen to help the agricultural sector who have a real need for passionate and trained people. If you are thinking about your future and want to see what this is all about before making a commitment, then this is an ideal opportunity for you".
"Come along, give it a go, and see if it's the life for you. The initiative is particularly in response to the impact that Covid-19 has had on many people who are looking for new career options".
The Committees which are made up of the Mayors and Chairs of the District and Regional Councils, Leaders of Rangitāne and Kahungunu Iwi, and local business leaders, have worked to re-establish vocational training at Taratahi since it closed in 2018.
Further work is underway to establish the training required by the Construction Industry and a workforce plan for the Wairarapa.
"Taratahi has been a key part of Wairarapa's identity for generations. Most families here have some connection with it" said Labour Party List MP for the Wairarapa, Kieran McAnulty.
"It hit us all very hard when agricultural training could no longer continue. So it is very exciting to hear we are on the verge of seeing things at Taratahi up and running again. A lot of hard work has been done to get to this point, and I particularly want to acknowledge UCOL and EIT for joining together to put Wairarapa once again at the heart of agricultural training".
A similar model is underway in the South Island, with SIT, at Telford.
Registrations of interest are being taken through enquiry@ucol.ac.nz or by phoning 0800 GO UCOL 0800 468 265.
