Capacity-building for landcare

This project includes the Advancing Landcare Pilot - strengthening landcare groups by tailoring training to their needs and delivering a range of activities based on the priorities identified through consultation with member groups, and the Professional Landcarer Knowledge & Skills Framework - establishing the foundation for the development and maintenance of the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in professional landcare roles.

Latest updates: Advancing Landcare Pilot

We want to deliver activities and resources that are meaningful and useful to our members, and this starts with understanding our member groups’ needs. In October 2022, a survey was conducted to gather information from landcare volunteers about the knowledge and skills required by the landcare community.

The Community Landcare Knowledge and Skills survey was structured under the same knowledge themes as the Professional Landcarer Knowledge and Skills Framework survey, enabling us to align the data on community volunteer needs with the identified training pathways for landcare professionals.

Download the Community Landcare Knowledge and Skills Survey Report here. This report summarises the findings from the Community Landcare Knowledge and Skills survey. These findings are being used to help frame priority actions, timelines, and methods for the delivery of activities, training and resources under the Advancing Landcare Project.

About the Advancing Landcare Pilot Project

Investment from successive governments in a Victorian Landcare Program has resourced many landcare networks with part-time staff, and landcare groups with project funding via competitive grant processes. However, investment in group capacity and capability to access, administer and manage funding, staff and projects remains a need of the sector.

With funding support from the RE Ross Trust, Landcare Victoria is helping to strengthen the organisational and governance capacities of groups, so they will be able to effectively deliver strong landcare outcomes and improve retention and recruitment of volunteers.

The purpose of this project is to strengthen Landcare groups by tailoring training to their needs in a useful, dynamic, meaningful, and diverse structure utilising existing and new resources.

The project will deliver a range of activities, based on the professional development needs and priorities identified through consultation with member groups, landcare professionals, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (formerly DELWP), and other environmental volunteer stakeholders.

The activities were delivered across 2022/23 in the format of four workshops, eight webinars, and a series of written materials. Recordings of the webinars can be found on our Member Resources page. 

Advancing Landcare Project Outcomes

Project outcomes will include:

• An increased understanding of the training and development needs of professional landcarers, their employers and Landcare organisations
• A better understanding about how and what communication and delivery methods work better
• A wide range of activities delivered to Landcare groups and their volunteers and professionals addressing their training needs
• Knowledge around how to access a wide range of activities and relevant information
• Stronger and more capable Landcare Groups
• An increased understanding by key stakeholders of what is currently available as training and development in Victoria
• An increased capacity to collaborate on coordinated delivery of professional landcarer and community training and development programs, now and in the future
• More connected landcare groups
• Peer-to-peer learning through workshops and webinars
• Strengthened communication and partnerships

About the Professional Landcarer Knowledge & Skills Framework

Developed in consultation with landcare professionals and their employers, this knowledge and skills framework establishes the foundation for the development and maintenance of the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in these critical roles.

Each landcare role and region has its own unique set of circumstances and challenges. Landcare professional will have their own unique combination of skills and knowledge needs and that this framework will provide the foundation for paving those individual priorities.

Download the framework here.

This self-assessment tool is for landcare professionals to assess their skill levels in line with the Landcare Professionals Knowledge and Skills Framework.

Upcoming activities

The webinars and workshops as part of this pilot project are now complete. 

Visit Member Resources to watch our recorded webinar sessions on topics including fundraising for landcare groups, recruiting new volunteers, and succession planning.