Five agribusiness scholarships to St Paul’s Collegiate School have been awarded to Year 11, 12 and 13 day and boarding students for the 2017 school year.
The five scholarships were offered to senior students who showed an interest in pursuing a career in the primary industries but did not have the financial means to attend St Paul’s.
The Donny Charitable Trust, a Waikato-based charity that supports agricultural training, is providing funding for the scholarships and will continue to provide funding for further scholarships in 2018 and beyond.
Jon Tanner, a trustee of Donny Trust, said the group was providing financially backing because it believes St Paul’s has the potential to positively impact the skills shortage in the primary industries.
“St Paul’s agribusiness initiative addresses a key issue for the sector; the struggle to attract young people to careers in agriculture. This programme has the potential to make a significant and positive impact. It will attract New Zealand’s brightest and best to a career in agriculture,” Tanner said.
In recent years, St Paul’s has worked closely with key industry leaders – DairyNZ and Beef+Lamb NZ – and the Ministry of Education to develop NCEA Level 2 and 3 achievement standards in Agribusiness that will, in time, lead to New Zealand Scholarship. Universities have swung their support in behind the initiative too.
St Paul’s Deputy Headmaster Peter Hampton said the academically rigorous course exposes students to the wide range of skills required and opportunities available through carefully chosen subject areas, the school’s strong relationship with industry leaders and experiential learning.
“Students study everything from agri-science to future proofing, agri-finance and management, growing value and international trade,” Hampton explained. “Within these areas, they apply examples of industry best practice to conceptual learning within the classroom.”
Currently the programme is offered exclusively at St Paul’s at NCEA Levels 2 and 3. However, the new achievement standards will be available to all New Zealand secondary schools in 2018.
Applications for the Agribusiness scholarships at St Paul’s close 31 August each year.
Those interested in learning more should visit – stpauls.school.nz/agribusiness
