Agribusiness Recruiting - Agricultural Appointments
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Resources
  • Expertise
    • Agribusiness
    • Wine
    • Food Manufacturing & Retail
  • Services
    • Recruitment Services
    • Executive Search
    • Outplacement
    • Psychometric Testing
  • Latest Jobs
  • Register With Us
  • Blog
  • Contact
Menu
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Resources
  • Expertise
    • Agribusiness
    • Wine
    • Food Manufacturing & Retail
  • Services
    • Recruitment Services
    • Executive Search
    • Outplacement
    • Psychometric Testing
  • Latest Jobs
  • Register With Us
  • Blog
  • Contact
Facebook
Twitter
Linkedin
Instagram

For the Love of Work and Family

News & Information

For the Love of Work and Family

  • September 2, 2018
  • 12:16 am
For the Love of Work and Family - Agribusiness Recruiting - Agricultural Appointments

Bradley Blackledge reckons he doesn’t have a job, just a hobby, but when that hobby took him away from his family, it was Agricultural Appointments who helped them reunite.

“When I was 15, I started working weekends and holidays at a nursery and then I went to trade school and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was apprentice of the year every year, not because I was smart, but because I had found something I enjoyed. I don’t think anyone is silly or stupid, they just haven’t found what they love. To me it was never a job, it was a hobby.” This is how Bradley Blackledge perceives his career in horticulture, which today sees him working as Assistant Nursery Manager for a dynamic seedlings business south-east of Melbourne.

His new employer grows vegetable seedlings for broad acre producers and is a change for Bradley who has worked with potted plants for much of his career – a career which has included employment with the largest of companies to the smallest of family businesses and in which he has developed his skills in every aspect of the plant life cycle from propagation to dispatch.

But this hobby, come career, took Bradley away from those he loved when he was working in Bairnsdale while his family lived two and a half hours away in Bunyip. The job meant leaving home on a Monday morning and returning Friday night, and although he continued to enjoy the work he missed his wife and two children. Feeling the strain he sought alternative employment and rang about an advertised job, thinking he was talking to the employer. Instead he found himself speaking with Howard Wootton from Agricultural Appointments. “I’d never considered there were employment agencies for horticulture but Howard was fantastic and we worked through several positions together until this one became available,” Bradley says.

Securing the position meant Bradley could relocate his family back to Melbourne where his son returned to his old school, his daughter began a nursing course and his wife was reunited with family and friends. For Bradley it also meant a new direction in his horticultural career. “You can’t force people to buy pot plants but people need to eat,” he says of growing vegetables, “and at the moment I am really enjoying what I am doing. It’s like a breath of fresh air, plus I’m with my family again.”

Bradley sees the horticulture industry, particular the growing of vegetables, full of opportunities as new technology and new plant varieties are developed to feed an increasing population, but he also admits that one of the industry’s biggest challenges is attracting quality staff. “It is often perceived as being boring work with low income but there’s plenty of work for workers,” he says. And Bradley himself is a shining example of the career opportunities in the industry and the importance of following your passion. “Do what you enjoy and the rewards will come and, like I did, you can turn that weekend job into a successful career.”

For over 35 years Agricultural Appointments has helped agribusinesses of all types meet the hardest challenge: recruiting the right people. From farm managers to food technologists, winemakers to research scientists and product developers to CEOs, they recruit for roles right across the food supply chain.
“From paddock to plate, we know people: how to find them and make sure they’re right for your role and culture.” Dr. Ray Johnson, Agricultural Appointments.
Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on google
Google+
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
PrevPreviousIs Automated Farming A Threat to Job Security?
NextMost common mistakes that candidates make when applying onlineNext

Recent Posts

Should you include professional development training in your resume?

January 13, 2021

Operating Smarter in 2021

January 13, 2021

SEASONS GREETINGS FROM US

December 23, 2020

Don’t be Over-Confident

November 10, 2020

Five Ways to Repel Top Talent

November 9, 2020

Don't miss an agribusiness recruiting update

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Agribusiness Recruiting - Agricultural Appointments

From paddock to plate, we know people: how to find them and make sure they’re right for your role and culture.

Facebook
Twitter
Linkedin
Instagram

Locations

New South Wales

  • 3 Spring Street
    Sydney NSW 2000
  • T: 02 9223 9944

NEWCASTLE

  • 107/17 Bolton Street
    Newcastle NSW 2300
  • T: 02 4062 9269

QUEENSLAND

  • The Johnson,
    477 Boundary Road
    Spring Hill QLD 4000
  • T: 07 3832 9866

Victoria

  • 1 Queens Road
    Melbourne VIC 3004
  • T: 03 9866 6899

Twitter

  • The commencement of a new year is often a time for employers to reflect on their future hiring requirements and for… https://t.co/f7NZDzDx2V7 hours ago
  • Sales Consultant - Ag Equipment - south of Brisbane. https://t.co/onbtrYu7q2 #agjobs #seek #agchatoz #agriculture… https://t.co/yKkSqv6F5myesterday
  • Sales Manager - Stock feed - Southern NSW. https://t.co/6hoH69MK3q #agjobs #seek #agchatoz #agriculture #livestock https://t.co/rpjV5olNgd2 days ago

Quick Links

  • About Us
  • Expertise
  • Services
  • Latest Jobs
  • Register With Us
  • Blog
  • Recruitment Agencies
  • Contact
  • Terms Of Use
Menu
  • About Us
  • Expertise
  • Services
  • Latest Jobs
  • Register With Us
  • Blog
  • Recruitment Agencies
  • Contact
  • Terms Of Use
  • About Us
  • Expertise
  • Services
  • Latest Jobs
  • Register With Us
  • Blog
  • Recruitment Agencies
  • Contact
  • Terms Of Use
Menu
  • About Us
  • Expertise
  • Services
  • Latest Jobs
  • Register With Us
  • Blog
  • Recruitment Agencies
  • Contact
  • Terms Of Use
  • © 2021 Agricultural Appointments. All Rights Reserved.
  • Site By Jezweb
Belinda Chung - Agribusiness Recruiting - Agricultural Appointments

DIY
Recruitment

The Pro's Guide To Recruiting For Agribusiness Jobs

Download Now