Cows Create Careers - Morisset High and Newcastle High

 

 

Nine students in Year 10 from Morisset High School and 55 students in Year 8 from Newcastle High School have participated in an Adopt-a–School Programme entitled ‘Cows Create Careers’ with local dairy farmers, along with 8 other Hunter schools. The project was established in Victoria by the Strzelecki Lions Club in 2004 to promote education and career opportunities in the dairy industry and has spread from there.

 

‘Cows Create Careers’, supported by Career Links, ran over eight weeks and involved students working in teams to complete projects related to the dairy industry. Calves were delivered to the schools by local farmers and the students named their calf and then cared for it over a 3 week period with assistance from the farmer

 

Tocal Agricultural College provided a dairy industry mentor to assist students to learn about career pathways in the dairy industry.

The Programme concluded with an awards ceremony and schools were judged on the quality of their project, presentations of their projects, and thank you letters to the farmers and mentors. Tocal hosted the awards, and in a great result for our Career Links’ adopted schools, Team Muu from Morisset High came equal first in the Senior Section, and Newcastle High was the winning school in the junior section.

 

 

 

The project was a practical way for students to learn about dairy farming, an industry that is experiencing a shortage of young people entering the field.

 The project was supported by the Department of Primary Industries NSW, Tocal Agricultural College and Dairy Australia with the prize money donated by ANZ.