The Ministry of Education has committed to developing Agribusiness achievement standards for senior students in New Zealand secondary schools.
The announcement of the Ministry’s involvement took place on Thursday at St Paul’s Collegiate in Hamilton, along with the opening of a state-of-the-art learning space that has been purpose-built for Agribusiness at the school.
St Paul’s, DairyNZ, Beef + LambNZ and other primary industries experts have been working together since 2013 to develop an innovative Agribusiness teaching and learning programme that the Ministry is now finalising.
Peter Hampton, deputy headmaster of St Paul’s, said the Ministry’s involvement is the next step towards Agribusiness being available to all New Zealand secondary schools in 2018, after an official trial in select schools in 2017.
St Paul’s identified the need for more targeted primary industries education in secondary schools when DairyNZ released alarming figures about the sector’s skills shortage.
“Three years ago DairyNZ identified a major skills shortage in the agribusiness sector with research showing that the industry needed 1250 tertiary qualified workers entering the sector each year,” Mr Hampton said.
“The Government’s target of doubling New Zealand’s primary sector exports by 2025 in itself will require around 25,000 more graduates, according to MPI figures.”
Fewer than 200 students graduated from university agribusiness related courses in 2013, ringing alarm bells for St Paul’s and industry experts.
“When universities are strugglingto attract students into agribusiness related courses it reflects the careers advice and education that students are receiving at the secondary school level,” Mr Hampton said.
“By introducing academically rigorous Agribusiness courses to secondary school students, more of New Zealand’s brightest young minds will become inspired by the opportunities and realise that career prospects go beyond the farm gate.
“They can become food scientists, marketers, business professionals, economists, technicians or CEO of one of New Zealand’s major Agribusiness companies – possibilities are endless.”
The standards will be a New Zealand first.
