Empowering Futures, Cultivating Dreams

Northern Mallee Horticulture Immersion (NMHI) Project

Project Background

Northern Mallee LLEN led the 2023 Northern Mallee Horticulture Immersion (NMHI) Project in partnership with Chaffey Secondary College. The project is funded by the Secondary School Agriculture Fund which forms part of the Victorian Government’s four-year $50 million commitment to the Agricultural College Modernisation Program. 

The Northern Mallee Horticulture Immersion (NMHI) Project offers a dynamic nine-week program over the four terms that immerses students in the vibrant world of horticulture. Students from Years 9 to 12 attended Chaffey SC Farm each Friday during the four terms of the project. Led by Northern Mallee LLEN and Chaffey secondary College, the daily schedule combines classroom learning, industry visits, and hands-on farm activities.

Key highlights include specialised industry themes such as nursery industry- Growing woody trees, Planting and Nurturing of Citrus Trees, Manufacturing and Production of Citrus Products, Planting and Growing of Almond Trees, Manufacturing and Production of Almond Products, Technology in the Production Horticulture Industry- Agriculture Machinery and Drones and Science and Research- Laboratory Skills.

The program features a well-rounded framework that includes OH&S induction, supervision by VIT registered teachers, and strategic collaborations with industry leaders. Every week is meticulously crafted, offering a precise sequence of daily activities at the farm and immersive experiences in the industry.

The concluding day culminates in a closing ceremony, featuring participant presentations on the insights gained from the project. It serves as a platform to acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments of participants throughout their transformative 9-week journey.

In 2023, 61 participants successfully commenced the project from five partnering schools Chaffey SC, Red Cliffs SC, Merbein P10 College, Mildura Specialist School, and Irymple SC.

Project Partners:

• Northern Mallee Local Learning and Employment Network
• Chaffey Secondary College
• Almond Board of Australia
• Citrus Australia
• Sunraysia Mallee Ethnic Communities Council (SMECC) 

Partnering Schools:

• Chaffey Secondary College
• Red Cliffs Secondary College
• Merbein P10 College
• Mildura Specialist School
• Irymple Secondary College

Industry/ Worksite Visits and incursions:

• Agriculture Victoria Mildura SmartFarm
• Agromillora Australia
• Analytical Laboratories & Technical Services Australia (ALTSA)
• Australian Inland Botanical Gardens
• Bright Food Asia Pacific
• Duxton Vineyards
• Haeusler’s Group
• Mildura Fruit Company
• Mildura Fruit Juices Australia
• Select Harvests
• Southern Cross Farms
• SuniTAFE
• SuniTAFE SMART Farm
• Qualia Wines

NMHI Project Documentary Film

Discover the essence of the 2023 NMHI Project in the following Documentary. Journey through modern technologies, industry visits, and hands-on experiences at Chaffey Secondary College Farm. Hear from students, experts, and staff sharing impactful experiences, exploring the entire produce journey from labs to global markets.

Watch more videos related to the NMHI Project :

NMHI Project Group 1 review

NMHI Project Group 2 review

NMHI project Group 3 Review

Graeme Forrester, Executive Principal, Chaffey Secondary College speaks about the NMHI Project at NMLLEN AGM 2023.

NMHI Project Outcomes in 2023

There were some great outcomes with the project with student study pathway-focused outcomes for future enrolments from the NMHI Project in 2023, they were as follows.

• Increased VDSS enrolments Years 10, 11 and 12
• Increased VCE Agriculture and Horticulture Studies enrolments, Years 11 and 12
• Increased Agriculture and Science related studies in Year 10

Project Continuation into 2024 as NMHI Program

The NMHI Program 2024 will be led and coordinated by Chaffey Secondary College with partnering schools Merbein P10 College, Red Cliffs Secondary College, Irymple Secondary College, and Mildura Specialist Schools in collaboration with Northern Mallee LLEN and Industry.  Two Groups of sixteen participants (totalling 32 students) will commence the NMHI Program in 2024 over the two semesters.

Participant Testimonials

“NMHI Project opened my eyes to the vast possibilities in horticulture. I never knew it could be this exciting. I was interested in the Almond industry learning about different almonds and the food processing how you can make different like spreads of almonds that’s what really interested me because I didn’t know that.”

– Destiny French, Student, Chaffey Secondary College.

“I really love the industry visits I didn’t think around here specifically there would be as much technology involved but there’s quite a bit. Since doing this program looking into year 10, I am planning on doing a Cert II Horiculture at TAFE and doing agricultural science throughout year 10. I would like to become a farm manager one day. It teaches you a lot about Horticulture and helps you stay interested in it. Just jump in and see what you can do.”

-Roman Curphy- Student, Irymple Secondary College

“I really enjoyed going to the Piangil Farm at select Harvest and Southern Cross Farms in Nangiloc and learning about the Citrus and I enjoyed going to the SuniTAFE Farm and learning about everything that’s there.”

– Rebecca Shugg, Student, Mildura Specialist School

“When we go to the nursery lab and see all the plants being grafted and how they are grown and are grafted at the same time, it really changed my perspective of going into this type of Career path.”

Sienna Evans- Student, Chaffey secondary College

To follow more updates about the Northern Mallee Horticulture Immersion Project, search for #NMHIProject or follow Northern Mallee LLEN’s Facebook Page.