Primary Industries Education Foundation

Primary Industries Education Foundation
Young Agribusiness Professionals Conference 2013
‘Image and Opportunity’
Ben Stockwin, CEO
Todays Presentation
PIEF Key Messages
Why should Agribusiness Care about Schools?
Opportunity
PIEF and Key Messages
History and Overview
Lead Body for Primary Industries Education in Australian Schools Kindergarten‐Year 12
Strategy not a Program
Vision
“An Australian Community that understands and values it primary industries sector”
Mission
“To inform students, teachers and the broader community about the primary industries and the career opportunities which they offer.”
PIEF’s Tripartite Membership
Industry
Education
• MLA
• FWPA
• APL
• FRDC
• Cotton Australia
• AECL
• NFF
• National Association of Agricultural Educators
• CB Alexander Foundation
• Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture
Government
• DAFF
PIEF’s Origins
• 2003‐2005‐Conversations between state‐based groups.
• 2005‐National stock take and meeting.
• 2007‐ Federal Minister convenes roundtable.
• Late 2007‐Constitution written for national body
• 2007‐2008‐Working party formed.
• 2008‐ Not for Profit Company Established.
• 2009‐Skills based board appointed
• 2010‐PIEF becomes operational
PIEF’s Messages
• Learning about the Primary Industries sector needs to start early.
• Best practice needs to be identified and matched to the needs of mainstream schools and teachers.
• Initial Significant Government and Industry investment needs to be provided in quality whole of industry initiatives and resources.
THE LANDSCAPE IN WHICH WE OPERATE
Primary Industries Education
School Education (Awareness)
Career Attraction (Interest)
Transition, Training and Retention (Participation)
Who is PIEF
What Should Agribusiness Care?
OUR TARGET
Who is PIEF
ACER/PIEF ‘Food, Fibre and the Future Survey
• 75% of year 6 students thought cotton socks were an animal product.
• 27% of year 10 students thought yoghurt were a plant product.
• 45% of students could not identify that bread, cheese and bananas all originate from farmed products.
• 40% of Year 10 students believed farming damages the environment..
• 43% of students did not link scientific research to farming
• 55% of students did not link innovation to farming
2011 University of Sydney, ‘Nutrition Survey of First Year Students’
• 10% of students thought Beef counted towards their ‘Vegetable’ intake.
Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture/National Farmers Federation
• 3000 extra graduates for the sector are required each year.
• 40,000‐60,000 low‐medium skilled workers required each year
• 40% of primary producers are currently experiencing labour shortage
“ …Australia’s livestock industry is a greater contributor to climate change than the coal industry.”
“[Kangaroo] is the ultimate organic meat: free‐range, free of chemicals…low in fat…[it]can reduce heart disease and obesity”
“…the National Farmers Federation argues… it could seriously damage Australia’s meat export industry.”
National Stocktake
• Over 1000 individual resources from 250 sources
• 64 Pages and counting
• Some are excellent and successful‐e.g. PICSE, Art 4 Agriculture, Gateway schools and a smattering of small individualised activities and facilities.
Do you think farming is a good career choice for a
young person?
100.0%
89.0%
90.0%
Percentage of students
80.0%
74.0%
70.0%
60.0%
Yes
50.0%
No
40.0%
30.0%
26.0%
20.0%
11.0%
10.0%
0.0%
Before Archibull (N=373)
After Archibull (N=255)
Impact of the Archibull Prize on students
“I had this idea in my head that genetic modification is this horrible idea and agriculture should just go back to the way it was in the ‘50s and after talking about it and learning about it I cannot love it more, I think science and technology have a definite future in the industry.” Laura Bunting Winamlee High School
Opportunities
Start Early as Possible
www.heckmanequation.org
Start Early as Possible
• 40% first start thinking about a career while at primary school or earlier, rising to over 60% by early secondary school.
• 40% of first‐year university students first contemplate university while at primary school. "There has been an assumption that people make the decision to go to university at 15 or 16, but this reveals a lot of students start to consider it back in primary school”.
• (Source: The University of Queensland 2011‐Miller et al, Australasian Survey of Student Engagement 2010‐ACER)
Meet the needs of Teachers
• Identify What Works.
• Identify Why it Works.
• Create a policy framework that supports them.
• Utilise Technology to expand/connect/sustain them.
Meet the needs of Teachers
• Points of Leverage
• Australian Curriculum
• Interest in Growing, Cooking
• Rise of ‘Sustainability’ Education
• Need for Real‐Life, Engaging and Authentic Learning Contexts.
Meet the Needs of Teachers
• Teachers want to teach Food and Fibre, but don’t know where to start.
• 100% of year primary teachers and 91% of secondary teachers rate students learning about primary industries as very important or somewhat important. (ACER survey)
Meet the needs of Teachers
www.primezone.edu.au
Government and Industry Investment
• Primary Connections: K‐ Year 6, resource is now in 74% of Primary Schools.
• $11m in Funding over 5 years
• Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation: 290 schools, resources linked to curriculum, successfully improving healthy food choices.
• $16m over Four Years
• Money Smart Teaching (ASIC): K‐ Year 12, Interactive Website, Professional Learning for 6000 teachers a year.
• $10m in Funding over Four Years
Government and Industry Investment
• Primary Industries Education Foundation: Peak Body for Primary Industries Education in Australian Schools.
• $500,000 over Four Years from Government
Government and Industry Investment
• Full Time Teacher Equivalent
• Primary Connections: 110 FTE
• SAKGF: 160 FTE
• Money Smart Teaching: 100 FTE
• PIEF: 5 FTE
Despite This
Services to Schools
• Primezone launched
• Over 150 resources linked to curriculum
• >800 unique users per month
• >1000 Teachers attending PIEF supported professional learning sessions
• PIPS Forum held and toolkit in development
• Mansfield and Tyrell College Victorian representatives
Strong National Network
• 3000 plus individuals in our network
• All levels of the schooling experience
• Monthly newsletter‐ forwarded to three times this number
• Major teacher associations represented, included and engaged in our network
Informed Policy
• Research Commissioned and Collated
• Informing the Australian Curriculum
• Informing Government Policy through submissions and engagement
Informed Policy‐Curriculum
• 2010
• Greater references to medieval agriculture than modern.
• Only reference to Forestry was the deforestation of Rapa Nui • No Fisheries content
• 2012
• Technology
• Food and Fibre Focal Concept
• Primary Industry themed Content Elaborations and Descriptors throughout the Curriculum(45 Pages long)
Opportunity
• NFF 2013/14 Budget Submission
• Calls for $5 million over four years for Food and Fibre resources K‐
12 and Professional Learning for 6000 Teachers per year.
• Major commodity groups yet to join
• Diversified Business Model
• Emphasis on project based partnerships
• 2013 PIEF Conference
• Inform, Inquire, Inspire
• Smooth Transition from school to workforce or further training
• Linking with Agrifood Skills Australia, Rural Skills Australia, Career Advisors Council of Australia and Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture
Primary Industries Education Foundation
• Leadership for Primary Industries Education in Australian Schools.
• [email protected]
• www.primaryindustrieseducation.com.au
• www.primezone.edu.au
• Twitter: @OzPIEF