Opinion: Ag courses need to work harder to attract students
Doug Dear © Jim Varney I’ve reached an age in parenthood where my eldest daughter is considering going to university. Charley’s keen to do an agriculture degree, combined with either business or biology.
She has whittled down a shortlist – and short it is. There are very few universities now offering a degree that really sparks her interest and, with Nottingham University phasing out agriculture degrees, citing low student demand and declining course enrolment as key factors, it is a concern as to what will remain.
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Universities are a hub of research and, if we lose them, where does that leave our sector?
It’s a conundrum for young adults of university age to commit to further education, though, not because they’re not bright enough, but because of the cost and the debt they’ll incur while there.
I’m happy to fund Charley’s further education (she will have to work it off!), but why would anybody want to run up a 30 grand debt with a 6.2% interest charge.
It’s not only the loan that has to be factored in, but income forgone from not being in full-time employment for those three years – and if these youngsters are prepared to graft they could have earned some serious money in that time.
Universities can’t rest on their laurels, expecting students to turn up because of their past successes and reputations, it just doesn’t cut it anymore.
If you turn up for an open day and the course is partway through a restructure and they’re not quite sure what you might or might not be studying it isn’t very inspiring for prospective students.
Some lecturers need a reality check, as prospective students are coming to interview them, not vice versa. If they want bums on seats, which they do for funding, they need to sell themselves and the course.
That means they shouldn’t start preaching about sustainability without also mentioning profit, it doesn’t cut it with my daughter (like father, like daughter!), given profit is the main driver of sustainability.
The woke culture is also becoming more apparent in universities. Surely young adults can make their own mind up on how society works, without being endlessly preached at and judged.
The jury is still out about further education in Charley’s mind. Maybe a Nuffield scholarship is the answer, allowing her to drill down into a specialist subject of her choice.
The problem with this could be the timings, given we want to build extra business around the next generation.
We have got plenty on, and if she was to disappear on study leave, the rest of us in the team are going to have to carry the can for a bit. We will just have to cross that bridge when we get to it.
I would like either of my children to come home as soon as possible, if they’re keen, but you’re a very long time at home, so I see the importance of further education to expand knowledge off the farm, or alternatively work for someone else for a bit and learn that way.
So if you want to lure one my best assets, you need to inspire them. That might be an amazing further education course – or you could offer them a job.
Either way, you’d get someone brilliant who is keen as mustard to help and learn on the job!