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Students get chance to explore ag careers

Students from both Sacred Heart High School and Yorkton Regional High School are planning what they want to do after school is over.
Agriculture Career Crawl
Students from Yorkton Regional High School and Sacred Heart High School learn about the programs on offer at Parkland College as part of the first Agriculture Career Crawl. The students later went on to Maple Farm Equipment to see some of the careers available to them in the future.

Students from both Sacred Heart High School and Yorkton Regional High School are planning what they want to do after school is over. Some will want to have a career in agriculture, and they had a chance to look at careers in the field in the first Agriculture Career Crawl, held with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Parkland College and Maple Farm Equipment.

Rachel Kraynick with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture says it’s an opportunity to see the scope of what careers are available in the ag industry.

“It’s never too early to start thinking about careers.”

Students ranged from grade 9 to 12, and there was a healthy mix of male and female students, something that Kraynick believes is a positive sign for the agriculture industry.

“We’re seeing a lot more women to go the ag industry and we’re excited about that. It’s a good mix.”

The main goal of the program is to show students what the ag industry means, and according to Kraynick, that means a lot more than what people traditionally believe is part of agriculture.

“Most people think that when you’re entering the field of agriculture you’re going to come out being a farmer, and that’s not necessarily the case. There is such a broad range of opportunities, from agri-business to engineering to marketing to manufacturing. This was our chance expose students to that wide range of opportunities and excite them about getting into the ag industry.”

Many businesses were also involved in the tour, including Maple Farm Equipment. There are a couple benefits that a business could see, Kraynick says, whether it’s showing the career opportunities they offer, or showing the education they have available right now, with things like summer student work or mentorship programs.

It’s the first career crawl, but Kraynick hopes that it becomes a regular event. They want to see kids become more interested in what is happening in agriculture and more willing to make ag part of their future plans.