Tertiary: Agriculture Failing To Educate For Its Future
September 6th, 2010
NZ’s output of people with tertiary qualifications in agriculture is falling behind the country’s needs as a generation of students is put off farming by perceptions it is “too hard,” has uncertain income and does not bring the lifestyle it used to. Massey University professor Jacqueline Rowarth told Parliament’s primary production committee the country is in danger of not being able to maintain its agricultural competitive advantage and excellent food safety and animal welfare records if too few high-quality students study agricultural science to graduate level.
She suggests one way to lift agriculture’s profile among bright students would be to offer 100 three-to-five year fully funded scholarships. This would compensate students for the opportunity cost of the long contact hours in agriculture degrees, typically 24-26 hours a week compared with business degrees, which at 10-14 hours a week allow virtually full-time employment. She also commends a recent initiative by the Primary Sector Group suggesting a national trade academy should be established for primary-sector industries and a single primary sector Industry Training Organisation be formed.
The Group told the committee two such bodies would rationalise primary sector qualifications by providing generic qualifications and programmes where possible and lift the profile of primary sector vocational pathways by engaging with schools. Rowarth says “Dirty dairying is a highly effective negative branding campaign associated with the agricultural industry, even though it is often misleading. Comparable marketing in favour of the industry is lacking.”
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