Longerenong College and Wool Classing: A Longstanding Tradition

Article courtesy of Longernong College

AWI Industry Relations Officer, Holly Byrne, Nutrien Ag Solutions Agent, Siale Pitson, Longerenong College Wool Classing students with trainer Craig Mackley and Nutrien Ag Solutions, Mikayla Quinn in the Dohne Merino pavilion at the 2025 Australian Sheep and Wool Show.

For more than a century, Longerenong College has stood at the heart of agricultural education in Western Victoria, quietly shaping the people and practices that underpin Australia’s rural industries. Among its many contributions, few have been as enduring or as influential as its role in training generations of wool classers, specialists whose skills remain fundamental to the strength of Australia’s wool industry.
Established in 1889, Longerenong College was founded with a clear purpose: to support agricultural development in a region where sheep grazing and wool production were already becoming economic mainstays. From its earliest days, the College’s curriculum reflected the realities of farming life in the Wimmera and beyond.
Wool, as one of Australia’s most valuable agricultural exports, naturally took a central place in that mission, with wool classing at Longerenong College emerging early as a core area of instruction, bridging science, skill and commercial decision-making

Built on Practical Training
Unlike purely academic institutions, Longerenong College developed its reputation on hands-on, industry-relevant education. Students learned not just from textbooks, but from working farms, shearing sheds and wool room environments where theory met practice and decisions carried real economic consequences. This applied approach ensured graduates were job-ready and attuned to the needs of producers, brokers, buyers, shearing contractors and exporters across the wool supply chain.
As Australia’s agricultural sector evolved through the twentieth century, so too did Longerenong College. While the College expanded its offerings into agronomy, livestock management and farm business, the wool classing remained one of its defining specialisations.
This continuity reflected both the enduring importance of wool to rural Australia and the College’s commitment to maintaining deep alignment with industry needs rather than chasing short-term trends.

Wool Classing in the Modern Era
Today, Longerenong College continues this tradition through the delivery of the Certificate IV in Wool Classing (AHC41325), a nationally recognised qualification that prepares students to become professional Australian wool classers.
The program is designed specifically to meet industry standards and provides graduates with the training required to apply for registration with the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX) upon completion of their required studies, the body responsible for maintaining classing integrity and standards across Australia’s wool industry.
The strength of the Certificate IV in Wool Classing (AHC41325) course lies in its emphasis on practical and hands on learning. Students receive comprehensive training in fleece preparation, clip documentation (Woolclip), wool description classing strategies and fleece judging, while also developing the leadership and organisational skills required to manage shearing shed operations effectively. Assessment takes place not only in classrooms, but in active shearing sheds and simulated classing exercises, ensuring students graduate with confidence, competence and a clear understanding of industry expectations.
This model has proven consistently effective. Graduates leave Longerenong College equipped to work across the wool supply chain as registered wool classers, wool brokers, wool buyers, shed supervisors, wool handlers or industry technicians supporting the continued strength and reputation of Australian wool in global markets.

Strong Industry Connections
Longerenong College’s reputation in wool education is reinforced by its strong engagement with industry. The College has long understood that excellence in training depends on close relationships with wool producers, processors and peak industry bodies. These partnerships allow students to engage directly with the people and processes shaping the Australian wool sector today.
One of the clearest examples of this engagement is the regular participation of Longerenong wool
classing students in external fleece judging, competitions and industry events. In recent years, students have been invited to participate at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo, one of the nations and world’s premier wool and sheep exhibitions. At this event, Longerenong has been represented as the only tertiary institution in wool classing activities with students undertaking subjective fleece judging, an achievement that highlights both the longevity of the College’s program and its standing within the industry.
At the Australian Sheep & Wool Show being held in Bendigo, students gain invaluable exposure to subjective fleece judging, sheep breed judging and industry standards at the highest level. These experiences reinforce classroom learning while building professional networks that often shape future careers.

Longerenong College students, Katy Pollard and Lexie Heinrich, fleece judging at the 2025 Australian Sheep and Wool Show.

The People Behind the Program
At the centre of Longerenong College’s success in wool classing are the educators who bring the program to life. These trainers have been developing the next generation of wool classers at Longerenong College for many years.
The Longerenong College trainers have helped guide hundreds of students through the demanding process of becoming skilled wool classers, sharing not only technical knowledge but the practical wisdom that comes from deep industry experience.
Longerenong Colleges strong professional relationships across the wool industry have helped strengthen Longerenongs external partnerships, including its collaboration with the Australian Dohne Breeders’ Association. Through this relationship,
Longerenong College students are provided with unique opportunities to work directly with Dohne sheep, one of Australia’s most influential Merino based breeds at major events.
Each year, students attend the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo, where they are involved in judging of both Dohne merino fleeces and sheep in the Australian Dohne Breeders’ Association pavilion. For students, this experience represents a milestone: applying their skills in a real-world, high profile setting, alongside industry professionals who recognise the value of well-trained classers.
For the College, it reinforces a longstanding philosophy, that meaningful education occurs when students are trusted with responsibility and exposed to the standards expected of them beyond graduation.

Australian Merino Exports agent, Tegan Falkner with Longerenong College students, Liv Sudholz, Macey Kalms and Bella Hardy fleece judging at the 2025 Australian Sheep and Wool Show.

A Century of Contribution
More than 130 years after its establishment, Longerenong College remains a key training ground for wool classers, contributing skilled professionals to an industry that continues to underpin regional communities and the national economy. From the shearing sheds of western Victoria to wool sale rooms across the country, Longy graduates have helped maintain Australia’s reputation for producing some of the world’s best-prepared wool.
What sets Longerenong College apart is not just its history, but its consistency. Through droughts, market fluctuations and technological change, the College has remained committed to high-quality, practical training rooted in industry needs. Wool classing, as both a skill and a profession, has benefited enormously from that stability.
As the wool industry faces future challenges ranging from sustainability expectations to evolving market demands, Longerenong College’s role remains as relevant as ever. By blending tradition with contemporary training, and by fostering strong industry partnerships, the College continues to honour its past while preparing wool classers for the realities of the modern agricultural landscape.
In doing so, Longerenong College upholds a legacy that stretches from the shearing sheds of the nineteenth century to the global wool markets of today, a legacy built, fleece by fleece, class by class, and student by student.