CO-OPERATIVE NEWS
The value of tertiary education to agribusiness While the land provides the practical touches to a career in the primary sector, Professor Hugh Bigsby believes higher education is crucial to reaching the next level in agribusiness.
“There’s still a huge demand for the
“It (technology) changes so fast –
people who have got the kind of
really what you want to be doing is
advanced skills in understanding farm
positioning people so that no matter
systems and where technology and
what the change, they can adapt to it.”
the future is going. The agri industry
Hugh says Lincoln prides itself on
is going through this huge, quite
providing applied programmes for
The Dean of Lincoln University’s
quick change with technology around
students. He says the goal is to
Faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce
software sensors and real time data
produce graduates that not only can
says while it may not be for everyone,
information, so even the people who are
the decision to move towards tertiary
going to be farm managers or working
education is dependent on “where in
on farms are increasingly needing to be
the portfolio of career opportunities you see yourself sitting”. “University or tertiary education is still the main pathway for anyone wanting to work in financial services such as banking and insurance, farm consulting or in the global supply chain, such as people working in overseas marketing or branding,” he says. “We have a
“
more tech savvy.”
Things move very quickly – we’re just trying to future proof people.
number of degrees in our programme
Hugh says success for the primary
that position people in that value chain
sector is not just dependent on learning
for offshore consumer markets as well
about technology – it is about how we
as on the farm.
learn about technology.
enter any work environment and make themselves productive, they also have the foresight to keep informed about advances that can be beneficial to their business. “Adaptability has to be the key thing, because things change so quickly that if you’re not reasonably quickly adopting new technology in a way that continues to keep you in business and allows you to move ahead of the curve, you slowly disappear, I think,” he says. “And the reality is it is not specifically just the ag sector, although that’s where we’re training most students for. Things move very quickly – we’re just trying to future proof people.” Hugh’s advice for any student tossing up between staying on the farm or entering tertiary education is to look at the opportunities further education can open up. “Even if your goal is to go back on the farm, you’ll likely make a much better business person and get exposed to things that might be a little different to what you’ve experienced on-farm,” he says. “We try to provide opportunities for our students throughout the value chain, including going offshore, and expose them to things that broaden horizons and allow
| Professor Hugh Bigsby.
18 | THE FARMLANDER
them to think differently.”
Farmlands Co-operative Society Limited | © December 2016. All rights reserved.
WWW.FARMLANDS.CO.NZ