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Inquiry Into Agricultural Education and Training in Victoria

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Inquiry Into Agricultural Education and Training in Victoria Education and Training Committee Inquiry into agricultural education and training in Victoria ORDERED TO BE PRINTED November 2012 by Authority Victorian Government Printer Parliamentary paper No.196 Session 2010–2012 Parliament of Victoria Education and Training Committee Inquiry into agricultural education and training in Victoria This report is also available at www.parliament.vic.gov.au/etc Printed on 100% recycled paper ISBN 978-0-9871154-2-3 ISBN 978-0-9871154-3-0 Electronic ii Contents Contents .............................................................................................................................. iii List of figures ...................................................................................................................... xi List of case studies ........................................................................................................... xiii Committee membership .................................................................................................... xv Functions of the Committee ............................................................................................. xvi Terms of reference ............................................................................................................ xvi Chair’s foreword .............................................................................................................. xvii Executive summary ......................................................................................................... xix List of recommendations................................................................................................. xxv Glossary .......................................................................................................................... xxxi Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 1.1 The scope of this Inquiry ............................................................................................. 3 1.1.1 Terms of reference ........................................................................................... 3 1.1.2 What types of agricultural education and training is the Committee reviewing? ........................................................................................................ 3 1.1.3 What is agriculture? ......................................................................................... 3 1.2 An overview of the Victorian agriculture sector ............................................................ 4 1.3 An overview of agricultural education and training in Victoria ...................................... 5 1.4 The context for this Inquiry .......................................................................................... 7 1.4.1 Skills shortages in agriculture ........................................................................... 7 1.4.2 A sector undergoing change............................................................................. 8 1.4.3 Demand for agricultural education and training .............................................. 10 1.4.4 The benefits of agricultural education and training ......................................... 11 1.4.5 The policy context .......................................................................................... 12 Schools ................................................................................................ 12 Vocational education and training ........................................................ 12 Higher education .................................................................................. 13 1.4.6 What other work has been done in this area? ................................................ 13 1.5 The Inquiry process ................................................................................................... 15 1.6 Outline of this report .................................................................................................. 15 Chapter 2: Attracting people to agricultural careers and agricultural education and training ...................................................................................................... 17 2.1 Aspiration for agricultural careers .............................................................................. 18 2.1.1 What type of people do we need to attract to agriculture? .............................. 18 iii Inquiry into agricultural education and training in Victoria 2.1.2 Factors influencing aspiration for agricultural careers ..................................... 19 The image of agriculture ....................................................................... 20 Awareness of agricultural careers ........................................................ 26 Influences on student career choices ................................................... 30 Resources about agricultural careers ................................................... 35 Career pathways within the agriculture sector ...................................... 38 Working conditions and remuneration in the agriculture sector ............. 39 2.2 Lifting the agricultural workforce’s participation in agricultural education and training ..................................................................................................................... .41 2.2.1 The agriculture sector’s attitude to formal education and training ................... 41 2.2.2 The cost of training ......................................................................................... 42 2.2.3 The absence of a requirement to hold formal qualifications ............................ 43 2.2.4 Aligning training with the needs of the agriculture sector ................................ 44 2.2.5 Increasing the agriculture sector’s engagement in education and training – The Committee’s view ................................................................................... 45 Chapter 3: Teaching Victorian school students about agriculture ................................. 47 3.1 Why agricultural education in schools matters ........................................................... 48 3.2 Agricultural education in the curriculum ..................................................................... 49 3.2.1 Agriculture and the VELS ............................................................................... 49 An overview of the VELS ...................................................................... 49 How agriculture is currently taught in primary schools .......................... 50 How agriculture is currently taught in secondary schools ..................... 51 Enhancing agricultural education under the VELS – The Committee’s view ...................................................................................................... 53 3.2.2 Agriculture and the Australian Curriculum ...................................................... 53 3.3 Agriculture in the senior secondary certificates ......................................................... 56 3.3.1 Agriculture in the Victorian Certificate of Education ........................................ 56 The study design of VCE Agricultural and Horticultural Studies ............ 56 Enrolments in VCE Agricultural and Horticultural Studies ..................... 57 Challenges with VCE Agricultural and Horticultural Studies ................. 59 3.3.2 Agriculture and the VET in Schools program .................................................. 62 An overview of agriculture in the VET in Schools program ................... 62 Enrolments in the VET in Schools program .......................................... 64 Challenges with the VET in Schools program ....................................... 67 3.4 Agricultural education programs in schools ............................................................... 69 3.4.1 Primary school programs ............................................................................... 69 The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program ............................. 71 Picasso Cows ...................................................................................... 71 iv Contents City Kids Experiencing Country Life ..................................................... 72 3.4.2 Secondary school programs ........................................................................... 72 Cows Create Careers ........................................................................... 72 The Primary Industry Centre for Science Education ............................. 73 Partnerships between schools, industry and the community................. 74 3.4.3 Enhancing agricultural education programs in Victorian schools – The Committee’s view ........................................................................................... 78 3.5 Agricultural high schools ........................................................................................... 80 3.5.1 Agricultural high schools in other Australian jurisdictions ............................... 80 Western Australia ................................................................................. 81 New South Wales ................................................................................. 81 South Australia ..................................................................................... 82 3.5.2 Victoria’s specialist high schools……………………………………… ............. ..82 3.5.3 An agricultural high school for Victoria? .......................................................
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