Building capability by designing learning for real people

Agriculture in Australia is underpinned by its people, who are on the whole incredibly talented, innovative, creative and resilient. They also have to have skills across many different functions and be adaptable to change. Continually building on that capability is one of the most powerful ways we can strengthen the sector. When growers, industry professionals and regional community members build new skills, confidence and understanding, the whole sector becomes more resilient, more innovative and better able to adapt.

Programs and training that build on that capability need to be targeted to the people. Practical, experienced adults often don’t respond well to classroom or lecture style approaches. They bring lived experience, established habits, competing priorities, and practical constraints. They learn best when the content is relevant, the environment is supportive, and the approach respects their time, knowledge and individuality.

Good adult learning programs don’t just deliver information. They build capability, they create clarity, confidence and connection, and they help people use what they learn in real-world situations.

Relevance and relatability

Relevance and relatability are two of the big foundations of effective adult learning. Adults usually engage best when learning helps solve a real problem, meets a current need, lines up with their goals, improves their capability and supports their decision-making.

Agriculture is practical, hands‑on and context‑specific, so learning must reflect real conditions, challenges and opportunities. When content is relevant, adults lean in, and when examples are told through stories that feel close to their own situation, they engage even more. On the flip side, when it is not relevant or relatable, they switch off pretty quickly.

I can’t tell you how many times I have sat through industry presentations with endless slides of detailed information, where you can just feel the energy in the room drop as growers’ eyes glaze over, they start to fidget or check their phones and even fall asleep. I’ve been guilty in the past of delivering a few of these myself! It’s not a fun experience and there is very little learning happening here!

Respecting experience

Growers and industry professionals bring decades of knowledge, insight and lived experience. Effective adult learning utilises and builds on this.

This means valuing the skills people already have, drawing on the knowledge in the room, recognising practical expertise, encouraging peer learning, and making space for discussion. It also means giving the quieter people time to reflect, absorb and contribute in their own way.

Spending time at the start to build trust in the group can make a real difference to how people engage and what they are willing to share. This is a really important step that is too often overlooked as we rush to get straight into the content.

Practical applications

Many people in agriculture are practical, hands-on people who spend a lot of time in paddocks, sheds, tractors or on the road visiting clients. Sitting for long periods while someone talks at them, or trying to digest heavy theoretical content, is almost always not a great fit.

Agriculture is an applied industry. People learn most effectively when they can see concepts in action, test ideas in real conditions, practise new skills, receive feedback and apply learning immediately. Workshops, field demonstrations, hands‑on activities, case studies and real‑world examples all strengthen learning outcomes.

Providing information on its own is rarely enough - people need to see how something works or understand why it matters.

Creating supportive environments

Learning can feel intimidating, especially when people are unsure, inexperienced or out of their comfort zone. A supportive environment makes it easier to ask questions, practise, make mistakes, try again and build confidence without fear of judgement.

When adults feel safe, they take risks to try new things. When they try new things, they learn more deeply. Good facilitation skills in capability building activities will ensure that a safe, supportive environment is created right from the outset.

I’ve delivered many workshop and training activities where the feedback has been one of surprise around how willing people are to lean in, contribute and share. This is from the work and processes that are put in place right from the outset to create a supportive environment for learning, recognising that different people have different learning styles, and providing a blend of learning tools and materials that cater to this.

Social learning

People learn from each other as much (or if not more) than they learn from facilitators. A lot of learning happens informally — chatting with the neighbour, observing what others are doing, asking questions, talking with colleagues at weekend sport, and drawing on the strong networks that already exist across the industry.

In a more structured learning setting, it’s important to build on this. Social and peer learning strengthen connection, build networks, encourage collaboration, support shared problem-solving and help new ideas spread.

Peer-to-peer learning is one of the most effective tools we have in agriculture. The facilitator’s role is not just to deliver information, but to support the conversation, guide the learning and help people connect the dots.

Timing

As adults, we juggle so many different things in our lives – work, family, community commitments, sport and leisure activities, seasonal pressures and business demands. It’s hugely important that we shape our capability building programs in a way that is respectful of these pressures. Do we need to provide programs within school hours to make them more accessible to parents, particularly in areas with minimal childcare support? Do we need to avoid peak seasonal demands? How can we time events to ensure they are inclusive and accessible?

Building confidence, not just knowledge

Knowledge is important, but confidence to put that knowledge into action is transformative.

Strong adult learning programs build more than capability. They build clarity, self-belief, decision-making skills and problem-solving ability.

Confidence is what enables people to apply what they learn — and keep learning over time. We can build confidence through allowing people to share openly, learn from each other, give things a try in a supportive environment and without fear of judgement. Confidence comes from new networks formed, information delivered in a way that is easy to understand, access to resources that they can go back to and understanding of relevance.

How do we design effective adult learning programs?

Good adult learning starts with people. It starts by understanding what matters to them, what pressures they are working within, and what will actually help them make better decisions or feel more confident in their role.

This means designing learning around real challenges, practical examples and the experience already in the room. Growers and industry professionals do not come to learning as blank slates. They bring years of observation, judgement, trial and error, and local knowledge. The best programs make space for that wisdom and use it as part of the learning.

It also means keeping things clear, practical and manageable. People need chances to see ideas in action, test them, talk them through, and think about how they might use them in their own context.

The environment matters too. People learn more openly when they feel respected, included and safe to ask questions. A warm, well-facilitated space can encourage curiosity, build connection and give people the confidence to have a go.

Flexibility is part of good design. Timing, location, delivery style and follow-up all influence whether people can participate fully. When we design with people’s real lives in mind, learning becomes more accessible and more likely to stick.

In the end, adult learning works best when it builds confidence as well as knowledge. People should leave feeling clearer, more capable and more connected — and ready to use what they have learned in the real world.

Final Thought

At its heart, adult learning is about people. It is about helping people feel more confident, more connected and more able to use what they know in practical ways. When learning feels relevant, respectful and supportive, people are far more likely to lean in, have a go and take something useful back into their work and lives.

Our industry is stronger when people are supported to keep learning, sharing and growing. If we design learning with care, good process and a genuine understanding of people’s lives, we can help build the capability and confidence our sector will need into the future.