CTE Fall Conference Rancho Mirage, CA November 20, 2014 Hartnell College Salinas, CA iAgriculture: Agricultural Business & Technology Institute Ag Career Kristen Arps Exploration in Program Coordinator Dr. Susan Pheasant the Field Director
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Agenda Introduction Context Program Overview Process: Design, Plan, Implement Assessment: Outcomes and Feedback Reflection: Lessons Learned Questions and Discussion
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field What is iAgriculture? Ag career exploration program Not-For-Credit activities/workshops For community college and high school students Experiential learning Local agribusiness operations Four-year university ag programs Pilot funding: NIFA Grant
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field pic of the CAT?? Context
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Hartnell CC District Salinas Valley – “Salad Bowl of the World” Approx. 15,000 students annually (unduplicated) 3 campuses A Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) 65% of students are Latino/Hispanic Many first-generation college students
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Hartnell CC District 85% receive federal and/or state financial assistance 90% unprepared for college level math 85% unprepared for college level English Less than 10% of adults in District have a bachelor’s degree or higher 39% of adults over 25 years old in District do not have a high school diploma
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Agricultural Business & Technology Institute Approx. 600 students enrolled in Ag courses Degree Programs A.S. in Agriculture Ag Business emphasis Ag Production emphasis Sustainable Ag emphasis (in progress) Horticulture Technician emphasis (in progress) A.S. in Advanced Diesel Technology A.S. in Ag Industrial Technology (in progress) Certificates also available in the above areas.
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Agricultural Business & Technology Institute Certificate Programs Agricultural & Industrial Technology Program Industrial Mechanics Certificate Industrial Technician Certificate Food Safety Certificate Welding Technology Certificate Automotive Technology Certificate
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field iAgriculture Program Overview
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Program Goals Increase students’ awareness and knowledge of: Careers and career pathways in agriculture Programs and courses Themselves The agriculture industry
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Program Design Workshop series including guest speakers and field trips/site visits to local agribusinesses and transfer schools w/ ag programs Classroom activities to provide framework for group discussion, personal reflection, and professional development (during iAg Week only) iAg Week : 1 full week in August before school started (5 days, 9am-5pm daily) Monthly activities during Fall semester, including field trips and visits to transfer schools Certificates of Participation issued
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field iAgriculture Implementation Process
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Process Overview Logistics Industry/Agency Outreach Marketing and Recruiting Curriculum Assessment
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Logistics Scheduling Transportation Food Classroom space Authorization forms Thank you gifts
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Industry/Agency Outreach “We’ve been waiting for you to ask!” Contacts made via: Hartnell Foundation Ag Steering Committee Ag Institute Program Advisory Committees AgKnowledge Service organizations Cold-calls Referrals Personal Interest/Life-long Learning
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Marketing & Recruitment iAg Week Pre-program marketing and recruitment: Press release Local media via our PR person Industry contacts emailed, asked to post for employees Flyers Summer classes Post-program publicity: President’s Weekly Report KION news
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Marketing & Recruitment iAg Fall Semester Pre-program marketing and recruitment: Flyers Faculty asked to promote (some gave extra credit) Class visits Counselors Student leaders and student clubs (Ag Ambassadors) Emails sent to industry contacts (to post for employees) Started to build database of “Ag Enthusiasts” and did most recruiting via email Post-program publicity: President’s Weekly Report Steering Committee and Program Advisory Committees
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Curriculum/Activities Site Visits 3 Large-scale grower operations: berries, leafy greens, mushrooms 2 Small-scale organic farms 2 Flower production companies: orchids, cut flowers 3 Laboratories: food safety testing, pest management/disease control, berry breeding/ genomics 2 Ag machinery fabrication/manufacturing plants 1 Terminal/wholesale market: floral (pending) 3 Transfer School Visits 1 Service-Learning Activity
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Curriculum/Activities Guest Speaker Presentation Topics: Orientation in Food Safety Training in the Field (train-the-trainer) Orientation in Food Safety Sampling and Testing Agricultural Research (USDA-ARS/UCDavis) Natural Resource Conservation (USDA-NRCS) Pest Management with Canine Inspection Teams Ag Sales and Marketing Ag Law Ag Internship Programs
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Curriculum/Activities Classroom Activities & Discussions Why agriculture? Reflection on impressions of agriculture and personal experiences Informational interviewing / professional networking Compare/contrast agribusinesses visited Compare/contrast ag careers seen Games: Ag Career Bingo, Ag Career Race, Scavenger Hunt, Getting-to-Know-You Bingo Career advice received Agribusiness best practices observed/learned Sampling assignment for lab presentation
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Curriculum/Activities iAg Week Binder Field Log Worksheets for classroom activities Job Search Guide Informational Interview Guide How to Write a Thank You Note List of speakers and sites visited Hartnell courses/certificates/degrees UC & CSU ag transfer schools/degrees Small notebooks for notes in field
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Curriculum/Activities Field Log (sample components) Site Visit Record Observations and Reactions Lessons Learned / Key Takeaways Plan to Research Further / Learn More About Career in Focus Professional observed Description of job/career Aspects I liked / didn’t like Education/training needed Is this career an option for me? Informational Interview Record Ag Lexicon – Key Terms & Concepts
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Assessment iAg Week Final written reflections (with prompts) Classroom discussions/focus group Embedded in curriculum Team debrief Registration and participation data Fall Semester Qualitative surveys Registration and participation data
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Assessment iAg Week Final Reflection Prompts: How have your ideas, impressions, understandings of agriculture changed this week (if at all)? What did you learn that was completely new to you this week? Is there anything that you wish you had learned about that you did not? How might you use what you’ve learned in your academic plans? In your professional career? In life in general? Program Evaluation Prompts: Suggestions for content, logistics, recruiting
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field iAgriculture Program Outcomes
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Participation Great response for pilot program: 49 participants total (unduplicated) Nearly 8% of Hartnell agriculture students High no-show rate: 33 registered but did not attend (unduplicated)
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Participant Profile Gender – Almost 50/50 Age - Average 22 years old Unknown Under 18 Female Male 9% 7% 48% 52% 40+ 9% Under 18 18-24 25-39 9% 25-39 18-24 40+ 66% unknown
iAgriculture: Ag Career Exploration in the Field Participant Profile Program/Interest Ag Production 11% Ag Business 25% Food Safety 11% Hort/Crop Science/Greenhouse 3% Welding/Fabrication 6% Marketing/Communication 18% 10% Ag - General/Other 16% Unknown
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