The Australian Wool Education Trust (AWET) has been assigned the IP rights to the collection of works by the CRC for Sheep Industry Innovation, and AWET Secretary, Peter Sommerville, expects the resource will be widely used, quickly.

“This is the only totally consolidated and readily available collection of educational and reference materials covering all

aspects of the Australian sheep meat and wool industry.

“There is nothing else like it – for example, a book cannot be purchased that provides this depth and extent of information.

“The Sheep CRC did a remarkable job and it’s a credit to Prof David Cottle who led the project.

“While the collection is educational in nature and will be quickly adopted by educators at University, TAFE and High School levels, it also provides key reference information for researchers, agri-businesses, marketers, processors, consultancies and farmers themselves.”

The materials were designed as an educational resource for the use of final year agricultural science students but there is a strong demand for such a resource by the sheep and wool industry.

Mr Sommerville says there are ten modules which include: Production, Genetics, Sustainable land use, Wool testing, Marketing, and Meat technology.

“Any component, or the complete package, can be obtained subject to acceptance of the terms of use. Depending on what components are specifically required they can be distributed by e-mail or copied on to a DVD or CD.

“It is available free to all educational institutions, though there is a small fee ($50) to cover copyright access for users

outside the education sector – such as agri-businesses and consultancies.

“There is one important condition of use – the materials cannot be used to duplicate, or compete with, the whole coursewhich is run at the University of New England, Armidale,” he said.

Each of the whole course units is offered by the University of New England and can be taken via the distance education mode. Students can enrol to do these units either directly through UNE, or as part of their agricultural degrees at other universities.

University of New England School of Rural Science Associate Professor, Geoff Hinch, says the availability of the resource for industry is timely.

“The Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture has just estimated that the country is facing a serious short-fall in agricultural graduates – while near 2000 new graduates are needed each year, only some

800 enroll.

“These materials will inform many of those 800 students, though the education resource will also help in the training of people outside the University system to meet the industry’s need for skilled scientists, advisors and managers,” he said.

To obtain or explore this sheep industry education resource, visit the AWET Website (www.woolwise.com) or email

either sheep.education@woolwise.com or wool.education@woolwise.com.