Encouraging young people into horticulture careers is vital to the future of our industry.
Last month Matt Dolan had the privilege to present at the Horticulture Agriculture Teachers Association (HATA) Conference in Motueka, where he learned that after decades of declining student numbers, horticulture classes are again filling up. This year there are more than 5000 students studying horticulture and related primary industry programmes at secondary school and numbers are steadily on the rise. To encourage the best and brightest students to progress into higher education and university programmes, an Agribusiness programme has also been established.
Horticulture teachers want to encourage students to pursue their studies beyond school, so here are some things that you can do to help.
- contact your local schools and let them know that you in their area
- offer to host a school visit
- your skilled staff may be keen to provide a demonstration of skills, like grafting.
HATA NZ promotes the teaching and learning of Horticultural and Agricultural Science in New Zealand schools. HATA encourages, supports, and shares information about curriculum, teaching, and learning, through the running of biennial conferences, managing a website https://hata.nz/ , publishing quarterly newsletters, regular communication with members and connections with industry bodies like NZ Plant Producers.