Robert Wilson

AgriFood Skills Australia and the Queensland Government have signed an agreement to partner on a project aimed at increasing the number of students undertaking vocational education opportunities while at school in Queensland.

AgriFood has invested $100,000 which has been matched jointly by the Department of Education and Training (DET) and the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) in Queensland. The project will drive the expansion of the AgriBusiness Gateway School model to incorporate at least seven additional schools in Central and Far North Queensland. The funding will be used to financially support a new position to coordinate agribusiness opportunities for teachers and students in these selected schools.

The main objectives of the partnership are:

• to engage school communities, industry and government by providing relevant and innovative learning experiences to enable access to relevant career pathways in Agribusiness by:
• raising the profile of careers in the Agribusiness sector
• developing and promoting a relevant industry focused curricula
• creating opportunities for work experience, structured work placements and school based traineeships or cadetships with Agrifood industries at all levels
• aligning schools to better or improved pathways for students into tertiary study.
• to increase the number of students undertaking qualifications in agrifood industries or skill sets pertaining to these qualifications;
• to undertake an agreed recruitment and selection process to select suitable Project Manager/s to implement the expansion of the project;
• the provision of a quarterly report and a final report to AgriFood Skills Australia on the progress of the project.    

The partnership took effect from 1 July 2010.

The AgriBusiness Gateway School Model

The AgriBusiness Gateway School model is a partnership between schools, industry and government and aims to provide students with opportunities to prepare for a career in the agrifood industry. AgriFood will work with the steering committee to promote pathways for students into industry, support the provision of career information and marketing as an industry of choice for school leavers, support an increase in the number of students undertaking VET in school opportunities in agrifood training packages and incorporate a cross curricula approach to agri-business education.
 

For further information, contact Robert Wilson at AgriFood Skills Australia 02 6162 237  robert.wilson@agrifoodskills.net.au