Thanks to the kind sponsorship of AGCO, Year 9 students from Birmingham and Coventry get to see cutting-edge agricultural machinery and technology from leading companies in the farming sector first-hand. They’ll have the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the latest advancements in farming and explore the exciting opportunities within STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers in the industry.
The students will then receive a guided tour around the show by NFU Farmers for Schools Ambassadors2, as well as taking part in hands-on practical tasks such as using ‘Locktronics’ electrical test rigs where the students will be able to learn how to connect them up and create power with AgCo, a growing workshop from G’s Fresh - one of Europe’s leading fresh produce companies - and an editorial and social media session with agricultural trade magazine Farmers Guardian.
NFU President Minette Batters said: “There are many students, especially from urban areas, who do not know anything about agriculture and who have never set foot on a farm before.
“It’s incredibly important to encourage young people and find ways to make farming fun and interesting so that as they grow they can become more involved in the countryside. Bringing these students around the LAMMA show is such a fantastic opportunity to open up our sector to the next generation, showcasing all the exciting innovation, technology and opportunities we have to offer.”
Agriconnect Marketing Manager Sophie Jackson-Holgate said: “We’re really excited to welcome NFU students to LAMMA and show them around the biggest machinery event in agriculture in the UK. The students will be experiencing some fantastic workshops to show them a snippet of what our industry provide as a career in the future. Securing future talent for the industry is really important and we’re trying to educate people from non-farming backgrounds on how much the industry has to offer.”
AGCO Ltd. Aftersales Training UK & Eire Manager Charlie Rollason said: “We at AGCO are proud to support the National Farmers’ Union, Agriconnect and Farmers Guardian and have provided a bursary for them to be able to engage some school children, from outside of the world of agriculture, in an attempt to spark their imagination and give them an insight into our industry at the infamous LAMMA show.
“Collectively our industry's talent pipeline is very poor, and we do not attract people in from outside the rural world. We need to capture the interest of youngsters and raise their awareness of the vast array of opportunities for careers in and around the world of agriculture & agricultural engineering.”