Polytechnic plans farm initiative

Polytechnic plans rural training pathways in farm initiative

Final touches are being put to a new land-based skills certificate package for 2010 that will signal the start of a revised agricultural and horticultural curriculum being introduced by Aoraki Polytechnic to its latest acquisition, the Washdyke Training Farm.

The agricultural training facility off Pleasant Point Highway, owned and once operated by the Timaru District Council, has been leased to the polytechnic, which is enhancing training modules and developing their reach into the community. A particular focus will be course options for secondary school leavers to enter agriculture, horticulture or land-based industry careers.

And in a move set to benefit students for 2010, the polytechnic’s commitment has begun with a new classroom building – built by its own building course trainees on campus and shifted on to the farm late last year.

Head of Faculty Lisa Baillie said the polytechnic’s involvement with an agricultural training facility that had fulfilled a need in the South Canterbury region over many years was exciting.

She said the polytechnic could add resource depth and training support for its students and trainees at all levels.

“To be able to develop programmes that will reflect traditional academic offerings in the agricultural environment will be a huge step forward for students studying land-based industry courses. To assist us in this exciting project, we have recently employed Gemma Barker, who for the last two years has been educating learners in the local agricultural sector via our collaborative partner, Agribusiness Training Limited.”

Mrs Baillie recently assisted in a collaboration between Aoraki Polytechnic and Lincoln University around the Diploma in Business and Bachelor of Commerce programmes and is in a similar process with The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand.

“It is one of my future goals to explore similar collaborative arrangements in the agricultural, horticultural and land-based industry areas,” she said.

Mrs Baillie’s vision for the Washdyke Training Farm revolves around a “seamless and holistic package of land-based training”.

“By being able to provide the traditional academic offerings that we are putting out there this year we hope to be able to close the gap between early land-based training and tertiary level training as well as providing some opportunities and pathways directly into other tertiary institutions as well.”

She said that journey would start with a land-based skills certificate being available in 2010.

PGG Wrightson Mid/South Canterbury regional manager Chris Adam said, “This presents a great opportunity for students to gain skills in the agriculture sector and open their careers and further study options in the land based sector”.

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On its way to a new home in the country: A relocatable house built by Aoraki Polytechnic carpentry course students during 2009 is pictured on its way to a new life as a classroom block at the polytechnic’s Washdyke Training Farm. It will be available for use this year.

ENDS