Agriculture on the menu for Secondary School students
Agriculture on the menu for Secondary School students
There
are countless opportunities for young people in the agriculture
industry today – here’s the proof: By the year 2050 the agriculture
industry will need to produce double the amount of food that it produce
now. And that’s on the same amount of land or less.
Business
Development Manager for New Zealand Young Farmers Roz Lever says that
to meet that demand; “young people are needed to enter the industry –
now more than ever.”
NZYF
has united with DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand to create the Get
Ahead Careers Programme. Along with a website and print resources; the
programme also runs ten Get Ahead Experience Days around the country
from late March.
“The
Experience Days aim to educate young people about the real, viable and
varied career opportunities that are available to them in the
agriculture industry” says Ms Lever.
“Agriculture
is a very different industry to a generation ago; there are so many
options now. Agriculture has moved beyond the typical on-farm roles.”
“School
leavers are entering into a very competitive job market so we want them
to know that it’s not as daunting as it seems and there are
opportunities out there – especially in the agriculture industry.”
The
Experience Days focus on the Supply Chain story – it’s all about how
food gets from Pasture to Plate. To demonstrate this; students will
participate in 12 practical modules that focus on everything from animal
genetics to marketing and exporting, herd management to pasture
manipulation.
The
Days have a competitive element to them and Students will also have the
opportunity to speak face to face with young professionals from the
industry.
The Experience Days also serve as a great opportunity for industry to help future-proof the agriculture sector says Ms Lever.
“We
need innovative young people to lead the industry so it’s sustainable
for future generations and the Experience Days work as a platform to get
the right people interested.”
The first Get Ahead Experience Day is being held on March 27th in Te Awamutu before heading onto Rotorua on the 29th and Auckland on April 3rd before taking a break until May. (A full schedule is available from www.getahead.co.nz).
Supporting
the Experience Days is the Get Ahead website where students and career
advisors alike can use the site to learn more about the possibilities in
agriculture by exploring career options, education providers and facts
about agriculture.
A key component of the site is The Real World – a section devoted to profiling young professionals in the industry.
Scott
Heasley, a livestock procurement buyer at Wilson Hellaby, has
volunteered to be profiled on the site. To Scott it’s important to get
involved in initiatives such as Get Ahead to help the next generation of
young farmers that are coming through.
“I
remember it happened to me at school; some of the older guys would come
in and help you out. It inspired me to succeed and I know we all want
to see the younger ones coming through” says Scott.
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