FICA will be supporting several funding applications in the 2027 Forest Growers Levy Trust round that align with key priorities identified by contractors and the wider forestry sector.
Working alongside FOA and industry partners, FICA's focus is on initiatives that improve productivity, workforce capability, training outcomes and operational efficiency.
Key projects include:
Ongoing funding for the University of Canterbury Harvesting Benchmarking Report, providing the industry with valuable data on harvesting productivity, costs and performance trends.
Continued support for the Mike Hurring Training School, alongside investigating opportunities to scale the programme up to meet future workforce needs.
Development of a forestry workforce planning and forecasting tool to help industry and training providers better understand future labour requirements.
Securing funding to support the successful transition of Competenz to a Private Training Establishment (PTE) and maintain industry training continuity.
Funding for the 2027 review of forestry qualifications to ensure training remains aligned with modern harvesting practices and future skills requirements.
Through the FOA Environmental Committee, development of a forestry environmental risk assessment tool, initially focused on Tairāwhiti, to assist with more efficient and timely resource consent applications.
While these initiatives address different challenges, they share a common goal: building a more productive, skilled and sustainable forestry sector. FICA sees these projects as practical investments that will deliver long-term benefits for contractors, forest owners and the wider industry.
