Staff in the school of agribusiness at Muresk are innovating to ensure as many of the remaining students as possible complete their degree before the face to face delivery of the course ceases at the end of this year.
A group of the students enrolled in the Charles Sturt University Bachelor of Agricultural Business Management are taking advantage of a special six-week summer school covering two subjects, finance and business management along with agricultural marketing.
Among them is one student new to the course.
Head of School professor Christine Storer, said the summer school was to allow students who enrolled for the three-year course at the start of 2017 and from a mid-year intake that year, to catch up with other students and finish their degree before face to face classes end in November.
“Most of the 20 or more students still studying at Muresk will complete their degree and graduate at a ceremony in April 2020,” she said.
“We are effectively fast tracking their qualifications to allow them all to finished at the same time.
“The normal teaching program will start on March 4.
“A few students might still do industry experience in the 2019-2020 summer to complete course requirements.
“Our practical, hands-on approach to learning will continue with a full range of visits to exemplary agricultural businesses, field trips and a study tour to the Kimberley region.
“We are well on the way to having perhaps our biggest group of graduates ready to enter the workforce and help satisfy a big unmet demand for young people with an agribusiness degree willing to work in country areas.”
A state government decision in 2017 to withdraw funding for the CSU degree offered in partnership with Central Regional TAFE means there will no longer be a three-year agribusiness degree course offered at Muresk.
Lindsay McNeill is a media officer for the CRTAFE School of Agribusiness.
