How does agriculture as a career choice reach the hearts and minds of young people (and their parents)

In an ideal world agriculture as a career pathway would have equal opportunity as any other sector to reach the hearts and minds of young people (and their parents – particularly important for 1st generation Australians)

School-to-work pathways have changed dramatically and traditional routes to work have been described as irrelevant (FYA, 2018)

The journey of young people through education into the world of work and the influences on their planning and decision making, including aspirations, sources of information and formal, school-based career education is a complex web to encounter.

Just getting in the school door can be very challenging for all sectors not just agriculture

Agriculture does have some very successful initiatives including the Action4Agriculture suite of programs Kreative Koalas and The Archibull Prize

Our secret herb and spice is our Young Farming Champions ( they know how to change hearts and minds)

Others that come to mind are Cows Create Careers run by Jaydee Events and Australian Wool Innovation’s suite of programs that introduce young people to the world of working with wool

As this graphic highlights agriculture needs to attract a very diverse workforce in the next ten years. I am excited to be working with a team of bright young minds at University of NSW through a partnership with the Global Consulting Group to come up with innovative ways we can attract the best and brightest into careers in Research, Development, Innovation and IT

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I met the team last week and we started our relationship by getting to know each other and our motivations. All of the team are either engineering students or science/commerce students and none have an agricultural background.

The students are supported by an expert from Accenture

I think I am going to learn a great deal and we can get a win:win for everyone

The Global Consulting Group (GCG) is a charity which provides pro-bono consulting services to other charities and not-for-profits.

We do this by connecting university students with experienced professionals who then work together to solve business problems for other  charities, combining the energy and passion of today’s youth with the experience and wisdom of our industry leaders.

The organisation currently has more than 150 volunteers across several locations in Australia and has completed over 150 projects for clients such  as the United Nations, Tedx, Our Big Kitchen and Shelterbox. GCG is sponsored by Bain and Monitor Deloitte, and has informal partnerships with  a range of reputed consulting firms.

 

 

Author: Lynne Strong

I am a 6th generation farmer who loves surrounding myself with optimistic, courageous people who believe in inclusion, diversity and equality and embrace the power of collaboration. I am the founder of Picture You in Agriculture. Our team design and deliver programs that inspire pride in Australian agriculture and support young people to thrive in business and life

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