Figures released late last year by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) show Australia’s agricultural workforce is getting younger.
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While those working in agriculture are older on average than the general workforce, the proportion of farm sector workers aged under 35 is on the rise, up to 24 per cent in 2016. The knowledge, skills and enthusiasm these young people bring to our industry shouldn’t be under-valued.
One of the joys of my role as Acting Director of the Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation is working with more than 40 Charles Sturt University (CSU) PhD students who are passionate about their research and its potential to increase the productivity, profitability and sustainability of grain and red meat industries. We’re also committed to training graduates to build the capacity of these industries to innovate. We do this by providing opportunities for undergraduate students to learn more about our research through internship programs and by supporting Honours research projects.
I’m proud to see our students putting their knowledge and skills to work in the community, mentoring school students in science programs, volunteering in research for development programs and taking on leadership roles within their industries.
Agriculture is a dynamic industry with a wide choice of career paths from finance and government through to processing, manufacturing and directly on-farm. Research by Charles Sturt University (CSU) Emeritus Professor Jim Pratley in 2016 showed that for those studying agriculture at university there's more than five jobs per graduate. It’s important for our industry to step forward and promote these opportunities to our young people. Each year the Graham Centre invites local high school students to get an insight into our research and some of these potential careers at our Science and Agriculture Enrichment Days.
The new university year is about to begin and at CSU about 1800 students will continue and for some begin new studies in agriculture, veterinary, animal science, horticulture and wine related courses. I’m excited about the opportunities that await them and for the contributions they will make in the future to our farming sector and rural communities.
