Impact of agricultural engagement in NSW secondary schools

Australian agriculture currently faces a range of production challenges, one of which has been the lack of skilled workers entering the sector. In order to understand the views of the emerging workforce on agriculture, a self-completion questionnaire was distributed to students in Years 11 and 12 in four high schools in the New South Wales public system; two agricultural high schools and two non-agricultural high schools offering agriculture subjects. This study was designed to understand what influences students to study Agriculture or Primary Industries electives, what encourages students to aim for a career in the sector and whether attending an agricultural specialist school has a positive impact on these.