Agricultural Higher Education in the 21st Century: Student view on attractiveness and employability
2015
Meulendijks, L
By the year 2050, an enormous increase in food production is needed to sustain global food security. Because the students of today will be the professionals of 2050, it is extremely important that a sufficient number of students is being educated to realize this increasing food demand. However, the problem is that currently too few students are interested in studying the field of agriculture and related sciences. In this paper, the reasons for this low interest are analysed on the basis of answers given in interviews with agriculture related students from all over the world. It seems that the current image of agriculture in developed regions is one of the obstacles in attracting enough students. Improving society’s awareness on the role of agriculture in our daily lives can greatly improve the image of the sector in general and therefore the amount of students choosing this particular field of study. Other possible reasons for low interest in the study like the quality of the study, the extra-curricular opportunities and the career perspective after graduation were analysed as well. They were found to be positive compared to other careers. Something that most students that are at the point of choosing their study have no idea of. Improving the marketing of these positive aspects is a way to improve the number of students applying for a study in the field of agriculture or any related science
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]