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National Meat Industry Training Advisory Council Limited

Meat Industry Profile - Brett Scoble

Brett Scoble is the Plant Manager at HW Greenham & Sons Pty Ltd in Tongala, Victoria. Below he tells us about his career in the meat industry.

Tell us about your journey to managing one of the biggest meat export companies in Victoria.

I started in the boning room as an 18 year old with no knife skills what so ever. After learning all of the positions within the room I was fortunate enough to obtain a position as a leading hand and then became boning room supervisor.

At this point I was offered the opportunity to begin a formal training journey, first at a diploma level, the teachings and learnings of which I was able to apply to my area and my team. The results that followed, I believe, highlighted my skills and assisted me in taking the next step to shift manager and then to my current position as plant manager.

I have been fortunate to have an employer that not only believed in my abilities but could also see the benefits to the business and the industry as a whole by supporting the training that I was undertaking.

What are some of your major achievements in your career?

After completing basic industry training at plant level I have gone on to complete a Diploma and Advanced Diploma of Meat Processing and I am currently completing a Graduate Certificate in Agribusiness, none of which would have been possible without the assistance of MINTRAC and my employer, H.W Greenham & Sons. And I truly believe this training has been one of the biggest influences in my progression through the business.

The exposure to so many like-minded people from the meat industry has allowed me to build an extensive network of connections and establish friendships and I believe this has been one of the greatest benefits of the training.

Did you always want a career in the meat industry?

At school I wanted to be a butcher until the local butcher in town talked me out of it!

When I left school I worked on a local dairy farm for around 12 months and then took the opportunity to take a position at Greenhams. I was planning to make some decent money then see what else was around—22 years later I’m still here!

What career opportunities are available in the meat industry?

When people think of the meat industry most people think of a butcher. What people don’t know is the Australian meat industry employs around 73,000 people from abattoirs, wholesalers and retail butchers.

Some of the jobs include quality assurance management, environmental management, livestock officer, traditional trade roles, engineering, maintenance, meat inspectors and meat scientists.

I am a perfect example of how career pathways can lead all the way to the top. Some of our best managers have started as labourers.

What were some of the major challenges in your career journey?

Time management has been a bit of a challenge, juggling work and study but nothing that can’t be managed

What are your future career ambitions?

I am very happy with where my career has taken me at present and look forward to repaying the faith that Greenhams have placed in me by ensuring the Tongala plant continues to be successful.

Being a product of the training system I may eventually look to combine my experiences from both a work and training perspective and look to assist in developing future young meat industry people

Outside of work, what is a life dream you would like to achieve?

Apart from owning a really, really good racehorse, I would eventually like to travel and see a bit more of Australia and the world

What advice do you have for young kids trying to work out what they want to do with their careers?

First and foremost find something that you love to do. Don’t look are it as just a job, look at it as a career and grab every opportunity you can to develop yourself, whether it be through formal training or just taking the time to talk with someone about why and how something works.

If you’re interested in completing a Diploma of Meat Processing through Mintrac go to our website for more information. Upcoming workshops include:

  • Food Safety for Managers — 14, 15 and 16 July in Adelaide
  • Leadership for Managers – 17, 18 and 19 August in Melbourne
  • WHS for Managers—13, 14 and 15 September in Toowomba