The farmer-led vocational agricultural training organisation Growing Future Farmers is seeking its next intake of aspiring farmers for 2025.

The essential farm skills course has around 80 places across 12 regions nationwide.

Growing Future Farmers chief executive officer Wendy Paul said the programme's success is due to its structure.

"It's not just an academic programme; it comes with practical skills, life skills and wraparound support.

"Students become part of the farm team, and they are learning real life in real-time."

The course is open to 16-20 year olds and provides zero-fees one-on-one practical workplace training and development to young people who may not see university as a pathway to farming.

"We are in the middle because there aren't a lot of options between school and going to university."

Each intake is diverse, with around 40 per cent of applicants coming from an urban background and 60 per cent from a rural background.

Students are matched with farm trainers who are approved and accredited by the organisation. They live and work on the farm for two years,  meat is supplied, and a living allowance is paid.

Clothing and equipment are subsidised, and each student has a working dog pup.

Students graduate with NZQA National Certificates in Primary Industries Levels Two and Three, Pre-employment Skills Level Three, and a Certificate in Agriculture Food and Fibre Level Three.

In its fourth year, the programme, which has a 90 per cent retention rate, was developed by a group of sheep and beef farmers who saw the need for a future workforce strategy and succession planning.

Students spend four days each week on the farm and the fifth day with expert trainers.

That can range from fencing and tractor training to shearing - the whole gamut with a focus on health and safety.

"We are very focused on ensuring they are safe while they are learning."

Being a Farm Trainer is a big commitment, but Paul said that although she expected there would be a shortage of farmers willing to help, that hasn't been the case.

"I thought lack of trainers would be a constraint, but that hasn't materialised because of the credibility of the programme, and the fact we have Farm Trainers that have been in it for several years telling people to get involved because they are getting so much reward out of it."

Paul said the uptake from farmers is impressive considering the economic climate and the cost to farms of around $45,000 in expenses for each student they place.

"It speaks volumes for their willingness to engage with solving the problem."

Paul said the objective of the course is "twofold".

"One is that we want work-ready people ready to enter employment as soon as they finish the programme.

"And the second is that we want well-rounded, good human beings at the end of it.

"We see a transformational shift from young 16-year-olds being shy and not very confident and that don't really have any self-belief to becoming confident, mature young people that come out the other end ready to contribute to the economy straight away."

Applications for the 2025 Growing Future Farmers intake close on September 27.

By Claire Inkson