Claire Wraight awarded Value Chain Innovator

So much can be achieved in a short time when you have enough passion to drive yourself forward. When friends and colleagues think of Claire, passionate is a word that is synonymous. Claire has worked at Legacy Packing as Compliance and Personnel Manager for five years and in the past two years has not only changed the business but is contributing change to the wider industry.

In 2019 Claire was awarded a Hort Innovation scholarship to participate in the national Women in Leadership program. Since that time, she has been a motivating leader, championing young people to begin a career in horticulture.

In the past 12 months alone, Claire has hosted six students from the University of Melbourne as part of a project looking at putting master students into local agricultural businesses.

On top of this, Legacy Packing now host multiple young university students through Summer Work Opportunities and Schoolies Holiday programs. High school students are supported through a Production Traineeship and Horticulture Traineeship, marking the beginning of many careers into the industry.

From inductions, weekly meetings, reading cover letters and establishing mentor projects, Claire is known for being accommodating to different learning styles and needs to ensure young people are welcomed into the workplace.

Claire shows them you can have so many different skill sets to come into agriculture and still be valued.

Claire also attends and coordinates career expo’s, open days, farm tours and workshops with educational bodies but also partnering with other government groups to open doors for these young people. She has a strong voice in ideas and actions to highlight more movement in this space for our industry.

If you want to meet some of these young people, go to Legacy Packing’s social media where these young people and their stories are showcased to encourage other young professionals into the industry. Teaching the next generation there’s more than just jobs in citrus, there are careers.

More so, Claire has encouraged her team at Legacy Packing to accommodate these young people and engage in these programs which sees a benefit not just to their business but for the young career seekers themselves.

None of this comes without a passion of wanting to show people the benefit of a career in agriculture, and we’re very lucky to have Claire working in citrus. Thank you, Claire, for showing future generations what the citrus industry has to offer.

Think you know a business or someone who deserves the next Value Chain Innovator award? Ask our office about nominations on office@citrusaustralia.com.au or call 03 5023 6333.