The national shortage of qualified farm hands is set to be eased by a new agricultural skills course beginning this year in Western Australia.
Candidates for the Certificate II in Agriculture will be hand-picked from applications from around the state, with the training to take place at Pardelup, west of Mount Barker.
But there's a catch. To qualify you have to be male and currently serving time in any of WA's male-only prisons.
Training courses at prisons are plentiful, but this one is different.
Inmates have to apply for the 12-month internship as they would for a job, and will be up against competition from prisoners in other jails for the limited number of positions.
Pardelup is a low-security prison farm, where prisoners get to finish their sentences after spending time in the state's higher-security jails.
It has been operating for 93 years, employing inmates to manage the production of beef, sheep, horticulture, aquaculture and animal feed.
Dan O'Halloran manages the farm and designed the course.
"We've recently advertised out across the whole state prison system to attract the right candidates for the job, who would like to seek a career in agriculture upon release." he said.
"We try to make it a competitive process to simulate a real-world job application.
We've had some good applicants coming through and obviously they have to meet certain criteria to work in this minimum-security prison but we've got some solid candidates that we'd expect to start sometime early this year."
Khyle is one of the first three interns selected. The former cabinet maker has no previous farm experience, but Mr O'Halloran said his selection was all about attitude and a willingness to learn.
Speaking to the ABC while he weighed sheep, Khyle said he hoped the course would help set him on a new path once he'd done his time.
"Where I come from, in Geraldton, there's a bit more opportunity with farming experience," he said.
"A lot of the farmers up north have broadacre and they're always looking for people throughout harvest.
"I'm 25 and young enough to learn from my mistakes and keep moving forward."
"At the end of the day all of these guys are going to get out of this prison, and they will be out there in the community." Mr O'Halloran said.
"I mean, it takes a lot of courage to reinvent yourself, put yourself out there and have another crack at life. Some of these guys are working pretty hard to change their ways.
"Once they are on the outside, if they can gain meaningful employment, provide for their family and contribute something positive to the wider community, then ultimately that's what you are in here to do.
"So long as these guys are honest with you about where they have come from, there's no reason why you wouldn't give them a go.
"If anyone wants to look or consider employing one of these guys, they should feel free to give us a call here at Pardelup prison, and just give them a go."
