Town Kids to Get a Taste of Rural Jobs

Media Release 23 May 2006

Town Kids to Get a Taste of Rural Jobs

Shearing, classing wool, soil testing, rural banking and stock handling will all be on offer for over 60 Auckland secondary school students at the Outstanding in the Field Experience Day at Ambury Park on Thursday (25/5).

Students from ten schools from Northland to South Auckland are expected to attend the day which has been funded by Meat & Wool New Zealand.

Participating schools are: Sancta Maria, Taipa Area School, Southern Cross Campus, Auckland Grammar, Mangere College, Sacred Heart College, Kings College, Penrose High School, Lynfield College and Mt Albert Grammar.

This is the third Experience Day to be offered by Meat & Wool New Zealand. Two very successful days have already been held in Hawkes Bay and Nelson/Marlborough. Two more days are planned in Manawatu (July 28) and Canterbury (August 24).

Designed to give Year 11-13 students first hand experience of a wide range of careers in agriculture, the day will be divided into five 35 minute sessions dealing with the meat industry, science, stock handling, business, and shearing and wool. It will also provide a session on education and training opportunities available to young people.

“It is an important opportunity for students to see the breadth and depth of the industry and to see the wide range of career possibilities open to them from business and banking, to science and technology,” says Programme Manager Joanne Jensen.

“Its not just mud and gumboots – it’s so much more. Agriculture is a huge and varied industry. It’s the biggest contributor to our economy. Dairy meat and wool provide approximately 40 per cent of New Zealand’s export income. Agriculture is also New Zealand’s biggest applied knowledge industry,” she says.

We need more sheep and beef farmers, research scientists, shearers, fencers, rural bankers, farm consultants, meat processing staff and marketing specialists – hopefully some of these kids will get excited about possible careers in these areas.”

Joanne Jensen says the response to previous Experience Days has been excellent.

On - Farm Experience days are being managed for Meat & Wool New Zealand by Taylored Ltd.

She says students, teachers, parents and others who want to know more about rural career opportunities can write to Meat & Wool New Zealand for a free copy of the Outstanding in the Field DVD & booklet. The booklet tells the career stories of 19 young people working in a diverse range of jobs in the rural sector and the DVD talks to eight young people about their careers in the sector.

ENDS

© Scoop Media