AFTER weeks of learning about and caring for dairy animals, students and teachers from across SA were awarded at the Cows Create Careers presentation days.
Just under 900 students and teachers from 44 schools took part in the farm module this year from the Limestone Coast, Barossa and Mid North, Murray Bridge and Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula regions.
This year's entrants also included several new schools from inner city and suburban Adelaide.
Prizes were awarded to the winning senior and junior schools and to student teams. Across three weeks the students completed the innovative Dairy Australia project that aims to increase the awareness of dairy industry careers in a very hands-on way: students rear and care for two, three-week-old calves at their school.
Each school is provided with dairy industry curriculum, at no cost. A local dairyfarmer teaches the students how to care for the calves, while an industry advocate visits the students to speak about their career in the dairy industry.
DA people lead Sally Roberts said it was encouraging to see secondary students passionate about Cows Create Careers and Australia's vibrant 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."
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Since 2006 the Cows Create Careers project, with support from DA, Regional Development Programs, dairyfarmers and sponsors, has grown to 259 schools across Australia with 14,245 students completing the project in 2018.
Ms Roberts said that the project has received strong support from dairyfarmers and advocates across Australia. Last year alone 535 volunteers gave 2675 hours of their time across 23 Australian dairying regions.
"The project's passionate volunteers are vital to the continued success of Cows Create Careers," she said.
"They speak to the students about their experiences in the industry, they support student career decision making, and they have important links to education and employment sectors."
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