THE decision to close down an agricultural training centre in the state's south has caused a stir, with school representatives saying it has affected not only students, but workers who are now facing unemployment.
Following an extensive review which showed an unsustainable level of enrolments, the Education Department closed Gnowangerup Training Centre, ignoring previous appeals to expand the facility.
This comes at a time when agricultural education is already under fire, with many other facilities in jeopardy.
The site was the Gnowangerup Agricultural School from 1966 to 2005 before it became the Gnowangerup Training Centre in 2006, and catered for students who were not interested in academic studies.
Gnowangerup Training Centre's Farm Advisory Committee chairman David O'Keeffe said the state's decision to close the centre a few weeks before school went back was poor and left students with minimal options leading up to the beginning of the school year.
"The timing was extremely bad - the ability for parents and students to make changes at such short notice before the beginning of the school year means that the students will have to stay in the mainstream schools," Mr O'Keeffe said.
The centre was used to deliver extra agricultural training programs for secondary students who were already enrolled in mainstream schools in Gnowangerup, Katanning and Jerramungup, but Mr O'Keefe said many students now won't be able to receive the farming education they wanted because factors, such as their socio-economic situation, would limit their options.
"For the students, this means there will be no facilities for hands-on practical experience without them having to board elsewhere, and many families can't afford or aren't prepared to do that," he said.
Despite efforts from the advisory committee to reestablish the training centre as a full time boarding facility, the Government still went ahead with the decision.
"The Government did not want to take that option on board," Mr O'Keeffe said.
Gnowangerup farmer and shire councillor Ken Pech said he didn't understand why the decision was made when there was already a shortage of skilled people in the agricultural sector.
"It's just really disappointing that the government has closed the school down when the country is crying out for people with agricultural skills," Mr Pech said.
Mr Pech, who is also on the college's Farm Advisory Committee, said the decision would greatly affect those students who had more of an interest in hands-on practical farming and were interested in careers such as farm work, shearing, fencing, metal work, viticulture and broadacre production ? all courses which the centre provided.
Another Farm Advisory Committee member, Norm White, said agricultural education was not getting enough attention from the government.
"I'm very upset at the treatment we've been given," Mr White said.
"I believe that the rural areas are getting a very short shift and the government is doing nothing for us.
"The excuse the Education Department gave us was that the residential component wasn't up to standard, however it certainly wasn't substandard and people have told me the facilities are good."
Former student Christian Hollis who learnt butchering at the school when it was the agricultural college said he wouldn't be where he was today if he hadn't gone there.
"It was a place where kids could go who didn't fit the mainstream schools," Mr Hollis said.
"The school taught me life skills and it was the best two years of my life.
"Going to Gnowangerup was a godsend - I wouldn't have been a butcher if it wasn't for that school."
Another former student Damien Blades, who also boarded when it was the agricultural college, now works as a farmhand for Mr Pech and said the facility gave children opportunities that normal schools weren't able to provide.
"I liked that the work wasn't forced on us and that there was more one on one time with the teachers," Mr Blades said.
Director of Agricultural Education Geoff Moyle said while the closure was unfortunate, the significant resources put into the centre would be used to benefit many more students and provide the best possible education opportunities in the region.
"Our review has shown that an average of fewer than eight students attended the centre each day, and this has made it difficult to deliver an extensive program," Mr Moyle said.
"These students will now be able to do similar training in their local school or one of the campuses of the WA College of Agriculture.
"This closure won't affect their regular schooling."
Mr Moyle said permanent staff would be offered other positions with the Department, and options were being explored for the sale of the 571 hectare training centre site which includes a working farm.
T he centre's agricultural machinery, vehicles and equipment would be redistributed according to need to other public school campuses around WA which offer agricultural education.
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