Developing student interest in the agriculture sector
1/2/2018The Student Edge organisation presented results from research collected from four focus groups. They gathered data from students in Western Australia; grades 10 to 12 and students in their first year of university, as well as a survey of 500 students from grades 9 to 12. The results showed that most students think of agriculture as a lonely and remote job with few options for career progression.
The perception of agriculture careers in the general populace is still vastly different from the experience of working in modern agriculture.At the National Association of Agriculture Educators 2018 conference, the final Keynote speaker was Craig Chetty. Chetty is responsible for the Student Edge organisation of Western Australia. He noted how his research shows that there is a vast divide in what students think about agriculture and the actual reality of working in the sector.
The Student Edge organisation presented results from research collected from four focus groups. They gathered data from students in Western Australia; grades 10 to 12 and students in their first year of university, as well as a survey of 500 students from grades 9 to 12.
The results showed that most students think of agriculture as a lonely and remote job with few options for career progression.
They also don’t view a career in agriculture as being financially secure or altruistic. There was one student who Mr Chetty quoted saying “no one wants to work for an industry that the news always says you’re meant to feel pity for”.
Student Edge didn’t just do the research and leave it there. Instead, they went in with career counsellors to see what it would take to break a lot of the negative perceptions that the students had regarding farming. They started by correlating brands that students could identify with like Coopers, Kellogs and Arnotts which are in the agriculture sphere but are not recognised as such too often.
During the career counselling, a lot happened to change student’s perspective to a positive one. Once the counsellors identified how agriculture had the power to solve real-life problems the students started to look at agriculture careers in a different light.
Once the positives and negatives started being broken down the students could see that the positives far outweigh the negatives. Positives identified included supportive regional communities, living in rural and less stressful areas, career freedom and recognising the vast amount of agriculture jobs that are currently available in metropolitan areas.
After the finish of the research, the Student Edge organisation produced a 55-page report. The report showed that young people are ambitious and want to help their communities and not just themselves. The report showed that young people were ethically aware and indicated that they are focused on their physical safety in any chosen career field.
There was a challenge though in how organisations and schools approach young people and communicate the diversity and security of agricultural careers.
To view a copy of the presentation click here