Back to School
OPINION: This old mutt went to school to eat his lunch, but still knows the future of the country, and the primary sector, depends on a conveyor belt of well-educated youth coming through the system.
Agri Training is New Zealand’s newest education provider: it has partnered with City & Guilds and now have their base at the Winchmore site.
Agri Training is offering two diplomas beginning with a diploma in agriculture which leads to a second diploma in agricultural business management.
The company’s programme includes an ‘learn as you earn’ opportunity making the investment in education easier.
“All students are placed with our accredited farmers and are receiving income while learning in a practical sense to complete your diploma,” it says.
“This allows the qualification to essentially pay for itself with a pay as you go offering so students can graduate and enter the workforce with no student loan at the end. Scholarships are also open for applications now for the 2020 programme.”
Agri Training’s general manager Greg Barnaby says it’s great to be able to keep the theme of agriculture and education going on this iconic site.
“We look forward to the next generation of learning being developed here with some really smart students with very bright futures ahead of them.”
Agri Training’s mantra of elite education – a world class learning environment – strengthen primaries goes hand in hand with its new home base at Winchmore by offering a programme in partnership with City and Guilds who have been operating for 140 years working with education providers, governments and companies to deliver globally recognised qualifications.
Barnaby says the partnership with City and Guilds means students and employers can be very certain of what they are getting with a qualification due to the reputation they have for accountability throughout a programme.
“Agri Training has always had the goal of lifting education in the area of primary industries to a new level here in New Zealand and having City and Guilds as part of that demonstrates our level of intent.
“We ultimately want to produce students who are confident and highly capable of becoming community and company leaders.
“Our programme is such that we are anticipating students who are focused on long-term careers in this sector.”
Agri Training have designed a programme that allows people who are serious about their studies every opportunity to succeed by combining the classroom with practical training, and delivery with online capability as well.
The programme will have specialist streams across dairy production sheep & beef, deer, and arable. This offers students a unique approach to training and assessment across the agricultural industry producing a wide range of knowledge for graduates. A four-week residential training programme is mandatory for all students beginning a diploma, before beginning full studies then farm placement.
