In the last few weeks, teachers across seven regions in New Zealand have been learning about careers in the food and fibre sectors as part of GrowingNZ’s annual Teachers’ Day Out.
The event gave teachers an opportunity to get out of the classroom and learn firsthand from those working in the industry about the variety of roles and job opportunities on offer.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) work with GrowingNZ on several initiatives and is heavily involved in the Teachers’ Day Out events as part of B+LNZ’s wider commitment to support attracting motivated and talented people into our sector.
“It is important that teachers, career advisors and transition educators understand our industry and the vast opportunities within because they’re often the ones influencing students who are making career decisions,” says Jeremy Baker, B+LNZ’s Chief Insight Officer.
“This is a great day to educate teachers and enable them with the resources to talk about farming in the classroom.”
This week Olivia Ross, B+LNZ’s Southern South Island Extension Manager joined 15 Southland teachers on their day which started and finished in Invercargill traveling across three agri-businesses in Southland.
Olivia says that the day is a fantastic opportunity to take a closer look at the food and fibre sectors and the diverse range of roles and career pathways it offers.
The Southland day included a visit to a hydroponic farm producing fancy lettuce, a biological dairy farm, and a sheep and beef operation.
“During lunch, six young rural professionals shared how they had got into the sector, what their jobs entail and answered the teachers’ questions,” says Olivia.
“There was great engagement and discussion regarding the businesses we visited but also, it was excellent to hear from teachers what’s happing in schools and the appeal of food and fibre careers.
“They really enjoyed seeing a variety of businesses they wouldn’t otherwise know about.”
Teachers left with an extensive pack of information about careers in agriculture, including different flyers for pathways into the sector, testimonials from those that are already out there and different training options.
About Teachers’ Day Out
Since 2014, GrowingNZ has been sharing with teachers all over New Zealand the many exciting career opportunities and pathways available to students in our innovative food and fibre sectors.
This year’s Teachers’ Day Out covered Manawatū-Whanganui (17 November), Taranaki (19 November), Canterbury (24 November), Southland (26 November), Hawke’s Bay (26 November), Bay of Plenty (1 December) and Northland (3 December).
You can find more information about this on GrowingNZ’s website.
About B+LNZ’s commitment to sector capability and training
B+LNZ is supporting sector capability and training behind the farm gates by collaborating with industry partners on many initiatives.
“We know how critical it is to our industry to attract talented and motivated people and equipping them with the skills to be successful. Therefore, we’re continuing to increase our support for initiates like Teachers’ Day Out,” says Jeremy.
Learn about what B+LNZ is doing to support sector capability and training on B+LNZ’s website.
