startup.business

AgriFutures Australia and startup.business are once again joining forces to deliver an exciting education program that teaches high school students in rural and regional Australia how to solve problems facing agriculture, using innovation and an entrepreneurial mindset.

After the success of 2018’s pilot program, AgriFutures Australia are investing in seven selected schools across the country to participate in the startup.business Entrepreneurial Learning in Action program.

It’s not only business that is currently pushing the entrepreneurship agenda, academics are saying it too: the future of work has created increased demand for the soft skills associated with entrepreneurial thinking.

Like many industries today, agriculture is facing massive digital disruption and comprehensive changes to the way we think about combining innovation, technology and farming.

AgriFutures Australia wants to prepare school students for the future by sponsoring this exciting program that takes secondary students in Year 9 and Year 10 on an immersive journey into the entrepreneurial startup scene to help solve the problems facing agriculture in Australia.

Until recently, there has been no framework for the delivery of such a program in curriculum. That was until one of Australia’s top female entrepreneurs Jo Burston met University of Sydney academic Richard Seymour and they joined forces to develop and create this innovative evidence-based education program.

The complete program delivery package comes with a simple framework comprising six modules, a full 2-day Professional Learning training course, ongoing support and all course materials for an in-curriculum program to be delivered over one or two terms in Stage 4 or Stage 5.

AgriFutures Australia will provide seven Australian Secondary Schools with funding of $7,935* ex GST each, which covers:

● partial funding* of the startup.business Entrepreneurial Learning in Action Program, including all course materials, agriculture-specific case studies, connections with local business, and ongoing support from the startup.business Education and Program Director;

● a 2-day professional learning course for two teachers per school selected to deliver the program;

● a school visit by the startup.business Founder and CEO, as well as the Education and Program Director, to officially launch the program at a school assembly in front of students, staff and guests;

There are currently four jobs in agriculture for every university graduate studying an agricultural-related degree (Pratley, 2017).

Barriers to entrepreneurship are reducing across most countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), including in Australia. Nevertheless, research shows entrepreneurship is typically only encouraged in those families with entrepreneurial parents, meaning for most of us: entrepreneurship is either an accidental journey, or one modelled on existing family businesses.

The AgriFutures startup.business program shows young people how the skills and mindset of entrepreneurs can allow them to create their own jobs. Teaching entrepreneurship is about changing the mindset of the learning process. This unique approach enables the students passions and interests with business to be incorporated into the program, highlighting these as a vehicle for change rather than a set of concepts or terms.

The critical element to learn about entrepreneurship requires students to be richly embedded in the context of opportunity, change, uncertainty and action. If they can’t see it, they can’t become it.

For all enquiries contact:
Liz Jackson
Program and Education Manager at startup.business
liz@startup.business