Georgina Gubbins
Commonwealth Government Scholarship Winners
University of Melbourne Masters of Agribusiness graduates, Georgina Gubbins and Suzanne Hasthorpe, are two of the latest recipients of a Commonwealth Government Industry Partnerships Program Scholarship.
The Industry Partnerships Program aims to help agricultural industries build self-reliance and manage change and adjustment pressures. Leadership development is a one of the main elements of the program and in particular developing the skills of women in rural industries.
The scholarships are to build the corporate governance skills of rural women. The 12 winners will attend a five-day residential company directors program in Canberra run by the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an industry leader will mentor and guide them on a range of issues for the following 12 months.
Georgina Gubbins and Sue Hasthorpe are two amazing rural women setting standards high for others to follow in their footsteps. Both of these amazing women have not only just completed a Master of Agribusiness by studying over the Internet with Land and Food Resources at The University of Melbourne, they’ve also been awarded Industry Partnerships Program Scholarships by The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the rural Research and Development Corporations. The sky’s the limit now not only for Georgina and Sue but for many other people currently completing their Master of Agribusiness or Graduate Certificate in Agribusiness over the Internet.
Georgina is Managing Director of Maneroo Partnership and a specialist beef and lamb producer from southwest Victoria. She is a Committee Member of the South West Prime Lamb Group and recently stepped down from the South Australian and West Victorian Sustainable Grazing Systems Regional Committee. She is also a member of the Beef Improvement Association, the Grasslands Society of Southern Australia, the Angus Society of Australia and the Kelly Gang (Industry benchmarking group) She has recently completed a Masters of Agribusiness through The University of Melbourne, with an emphasis on building her knowledge of business administration and supply chain management.
When Georgina Gubbins, beef and prime lamb producer from the far south west of Victoria, decided it was time to master her agribusiness she took advantage of an innovative online course being offered by the Institute of Land and Food Resources at The University of Melbourne. Now, two years later, Georgina is all set to graduate with a Master of Agribusiness.
The Master of Agribusiness (Coursework) is an interactive program that is delivered mostly online and is aimed at people who are already holding down a full time job, or running a business, and where distance can hinder attendance at a University.
For several years Georgina had been looking for a business management type course in the quest for striving for excellence. “I get very frustrated when I do courses that I consider are too basic, and not relevant, therefore when I saw the Masters course advertised, and made inquiries I decided it looked relevant to my needs,” said Georgina. “I was looking for something that was relevant to my business environment, yet would also give me a broad view of the business community outside agriculture as well. In striving for greater professionalism, I hope to be able to have a greater input into the industry as a whole, as at present I see very few business-orientated people in the industry that are able to understand the big picture.”
The online program also suited Georgina’s needs as she lives 400km from Melbourne and was able to continue with her business while still studying. “Online learning is more challenging than face-to-face contact, but like anything, the effort you put in determines what you get out of it,” said Georgina.
Georgina was also able to take advantage of FarmBis subsidies offered for the subjects in the course and has now developed friendships and networks with people from all over Australia as well as several other countries.
Further information about the Master of Agribusiness can be obtained by phoning Diane Cardinal (03) 8344 6883 or visiting the website at www.agribusiness.unimelb.edu.au