 An event to help school pupils explore the range of careers available in the agricultural sector was recently held at Orkney Auction Mart, delivered in partnership by Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Orkney and the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET). Developed as an early careers input, the Agricultural Careers Event was targeted to all pupils in first year at local secondary and junior high schools.  Charlotte Hoque, DYW School Co-ordinator for the three Junior High Schools, worked with RHET to develop and deliver the event. She explained, “Agriculture is a vital sector here in Orkney and we know many young people will be from farming families so will have knowledge about working on a farm and with livestock, however they may not be as familiar with some of the roles that support the farmer.
“We wanted this event to highlight the wider careers associated with the agricultural sector and help spark interest and engagement with pupils. Employers brought along fun, interactive activities which gave pupils the opportunity to explore the range of career opportunities associated with agriculture. We hope this will encourage more young people to consider a role in the future that will support the local agriculture industry.” Eleven businesses and organisations attended the event, along with UHI Orkney. The areas represented covered included livestock transportation, veterinary science, butchery and agricultural engineering. RHET also attended with a lambing simulator and information on different crops while Historic Environment Scotland provided information on ancient farming practices used at places such as Skara Brae and the Ness of Brodgar. The event was held at Orkney Auction Mart, so Auctioneer Graham Low gave pupils a tour of the facilities throughout the day, and held mock auctions with pupils, which were very popular. One of the exhibitors at the event was John Laughton from NFU Scotland. John said: “We were delighted to support the DYW Orkney and RHET Agricultural Career event, giving young people an insight into the variety of jobs that are in place to support the farmer. Farming is an important sector to Orkney’s economy, but the farmer does not work in isolation and there are many different organisations and careers available who support farmers with breeding and caring for livestock and growing crops. “We hope that this event lights a spark in some of the young people who attended, encouraging them to consider a career in the agricultural industry in the future.” As well as being attended by first year pupils, a quiet/relaxed session was held in the afternoon which was attended by pupils from Kirkwall Grammar School’s Curriculum Support Unit. Fran Matheson, Project Co-ordinator from RHET Highland, said: “The Royal Highland Education Trust work across Scotland to deliver learning opportunities about food, farming and the working countryside to young people. We were delighted to partner with DYW Orkney to deliver the Agricultural Careers event earlier this year. “I was very impressed with the knowledge local young people had about farming and farming practices, and the enthusiasm all the young people displayed while taking part in the activities put on by exhibitors was brilliant. “We would like to thank all the exhibitors who attended the event, putting on interactive activities and engaging with the young people.” Comments are closed.
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