career readiness

The first-ever Horizon Conference, focusing on futures in production agriculture, took place virtually in January of 2021. 190 attendees participated in the conference. Students Engaged With Industry Professionals, and With Each Other The Horizon Conference offered a total of 33 sessions: 19 educational sessions, 4 virtual tours and 10 networking sessions. Participants chose from one of three “tracks”, which pre-populated suggested sessions to their schedule. Participants could attend sessions which interested them most. An average of 29 attendees participated in each session. There were 187 posts on the message board—with topics ranging from home state pride to conference takeaways. 64% attended the virtual expo, with 47% attending during live hours to directly engage with industry experts. Attendees Feel More Prepared for a Career in Production Agriculture Eighty-nine percent of respondents of a post-conference survey agreed that they feel more prepared for a career in production agriculture after attending the Horizon Conference. All respondents in the “Future of Agriculture” track agreed that they are excited about a career in production agriculture. All respondents in the “Entrepreneurial Skills” [...]

In 2018, a collaborative study between Purdue University and the National FFA Organization1 explored the relationship between involvement in FFA and college and career readiness. Then in September 2019, National FFA conducted a follow-up study with a new sample of graduating FFA members during the first semester of their senior year in high school. Results show that FFA seniors continue to be college- and career-ready, as seen below. Impressive Grade Point Averages Set FFA Seniors Apart National FFA asked surveyed seniors to report their GPA. On a 4.0 unweighted scale, self-reported GPAs remain high among FFA seniors, with an average GPA of 3.59 out of 4.0. Ninety-six percent of graduating seniors reporting their GPA have an A or B average. In the previous study, the average self-reported GPA was 3.69, with the same percentage of graduating seniors being A or B students. No reported grade point averages indicated that members earned below a C average. FFA Seniors’ Critical Thinking Capabilities Match With Employers’ Expectations A 2015 survey found that employers believe critical thinking is among the [...]

In late 2020, Purdue University collaborated with the National FFA Organization on a research study to discover the impact of agricultural education on senior FFA members’ openness, preparedness and adaptability regarding new and emerging technologies in Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (AFNR). Openness, preparedness and adaptability are all skills that are in high demand from universities and employers; in fact, they were chosen for this study based on National FFA staff interactions with employers in agricultural companies and technology discussions that took place at the FFA Blue Room. In total, 1,528 member responses were used in data analysis. Seniors Open to New and Emerging Technologies, May Require More Experience and Education to Use Them in a Classroom, Lab or Future Career Developing technology has always played an important role in agriculture. In 2021, the necessity of being adaptable to new technologies is critical for those entering the field of agriculture. This research study defined “adaptable” as being open and prepared. These qualities were measured using the Openness and Preparedness Scale.1 On the survey, 10 new and [...]