B+LNZ sponsors Growing NZ’s annual Teachers’ Day Out to educate teachers, career advisors and transition educators across the country about the career opportunities in food and fibre from people working in the sector.
The annual Teachers’ Day Out is a professional development day for teachers, career advisors and transition educators where they learn first-hand from those working in the industry about the variety of roles and job opportunities on offer.
This year, 110 teachers from five regions spent the day hearing from three food and fibre organisations in their region. From sheep and beef and dairy farms, fruit and forest harvesters and growers, to research and marketing, the visits spanned all sectors and many aspects of the value chain.
The events ran across the country, starting in Hawke’s Bay, down to the South Island, with the last event concluding in Bay of Plenty earlier this week.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is a key sponsor of Teachers’ Day Out since its inception in 2014 as part of B+LNZ’s wider commitment to support attracting motivated and talented people into our sector.
B+LNZ’s General Manager – South Island John Ladley says, “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.”
“Apart from hearing first-hand what people are saying about working in our sector, the Teachers are also given resources to take away enabling them to talk about farming in the classroom.”
Deborah Lynch from Primary Industry Capability Alliance (PICA) – GrowingNZ attended all five events across the country.
“It has been fantastic being able to run these events after what has been a turbulent year, especially in schools. Feedback from educators has been really positive, with teachers especially pleased about making connections for future visits with their students and for contextualising what they’re teaching with real life examples.
“It has been so valuable to hear from passionate people in the sector who are proud of the work they do, the changes they’ve made to be more sustainable, and challenging perceptions about the people and skills needed,” she says.
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.
This is just one of many initiatives as part of B+LNZ’s wider commitment to support attracting motivated and talented people into our sector.
John says, “B+LNZ works behind the scenes in collaboration with organisations like GrowingNZ to have a greater impact.”
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 & fibre sectors.
This year’s Teachers’ Day Out covered North Otago (2 December), North Canterbury (3 December), Manawatū-Whanganui (6 December), Hawke’s Bay (29 November) and Bay of Plenty (8 December).
You can find more information about this on GrowingNZ’s website.
About B+LNZ’s commitment to people and training
B+LNZ is supporting people and training behind the farm gates by collaborating with industry partners on many initiatives.
Learn more about what B+LNZ is doing to support people and training.
