Fourteen boys and girls from Columba College and John McGlashan College gathered for their first Year 12 Agribusiness class at the beginning of February to launch the long-awaited Centre of Excellence (School) for Agricultural Science and Business.
After two to year years of planning, regular trips to St Paul's Collegiate in Hamilton to write the curriculum with other lead schools, and research and collaboration with outside partners, February of 2017 finally saw the launch of the long-anticipated Agribusiness course become a reality. The students have quickly become immersed in the four integral strands that comprise the course, namely agri-innovation, agri-science, agri-management and finance and agri-marketing.
Fourteen students (both boys and girls) commute daily between the two College campuses to attend Agribusiness classes. The first major field trip to local Agribusiness partner, Mount Difficulty Winery, is planned for the end of March, where the students will gain experience in viticulture and microbial science, and explore the keys to starting, developing and maintaining a successful agribusiness in New Zealand.
As part of the two-year programme, individual or groups of students will be involved in designing an innovative technology or business/marketing tool that can future-proof agribusinesses for long-term success in the primary industries sector. These innovations will be judged by industry experts, with possible internships and scholarships up for grabs for the top Agribusiness Student of the Year Award.
Although the course is still in its infancy, positive feedback from both the students and their parents point to a pleasing start to this innovative programme. The School of Excellence is one of only eight in New Zealand, and our collaboration with Columba College is unique, as it draws on teaching expertise from both schools to staff the programme appropriately.
For more information on how to apply for this course, or to partner with us, please visit our website www.mcglashan.school.nz under 'academic', at http://seniorcourseselection.weebly.com/yr-12-agribusiness.html), or contact Dr. Craig Preston at craig.preston@mcglashan.school.nz