More than 200 Hunter students descended on Tocal College on Monday to celebrate the completion of a dairy program which involved looking after baby cows.
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Thirteen schools were involved in Hunter Valley Cows Create Careers – Farm Module, which saw students rear and care for two three-week-old calves.
Francis Greenway High School teams took out first, second and equal third prize in the junior section while Newcastle High also finished third.
Cessnock High School teams achieved equal third and second in the senior section, which was won by Mount View High School.
Other participating schools included Rutherford Technology High School, St Joseph’s High School, Hunter River High School, Singleton High School, Morisset High School, Narara Valley High School, Medowie Christian School, Gosford High School and Tomaree High School.
Over three weeks the students completed the Dairy Australia project that aimed to increase awareness of dairy industry careers in a hands-on way.
Each school was provided with dairy industry curriculum. A local dairy farmer taught the students how to care for the calves, while an industry advocate visited the students to speak about their career in the dairy industry. Students formed teams to complete assessments based on the dairy industry.
Dairy Australia workforce development program manager Sally Roberts said it was encouraging to see the students so passionate about Cows Create Careers and Australia’s dairy industry.
“The aim of Cows Create Careers is to increase the students’ awareness of the diversity of educational pathways and career opportunities in Australia’s dairy industry,” she said.
“Through the project, students learn about the different skills required in the dairy industry in a fun and hands-on way.
“It is great to see enthusiastic students getting involved and learning about the industry, while making important connections with their local dairy community.
“The Presentation Day is a great way to reward and celebrate the students’ and schools’ dedication to the project.”
Cows Create Careers was originally established in 2004 with dairy farmers in the Strzelecki Lions Club in Victoria and nine Gippsland schools.
Since 2006 the project has been supported by Dairy Australia, Regional Development Programs, dairy farmers and sponsors.
It has now grown to 244 schools across Australia with 13,163 students completing the project in 2017.
