Preparing our future workforce requires a mix of technical and leadership skills
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Workforce development organizations across our state and this country are working hard to figure out how to close the skills gap for young graduates, prepare them for sustainable employment that can support themselves and their families, and drive our economy into the future. I have the privilege of serving with many of them, most recently appointed to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s National Work Readiness Council (NWRC) as the first representative from the agricultural sector, as well as Advance CTE and National SkillsUSA. There is a lot of great, important work being done, but I also think many of our answers can be found right where I have spent my career: in agricultural education.
After graduating from Purdue University, I began my career in the classroom as an agriculture teacher. I then held Career and Technical Education (CTE) director positions in the U.S. Department of Education and Colorado, and now I have the honor of serving as CEO of National FFA. FFA is the top school-based youth leadership development organization in the country, transforming the lives of middle and high school students through a unique combination of classroom curriculum, experiential work-based learning, and leadership/life skills.
My passion has always been helping all students succeed in school and life, and it has never been more apparent to me than it is right now that our youth need a combination of technical and leadership skills, mentorship, and real hands-on work experience to find their path and succeed in whatever they choose to do after high school. When I was in school, nearly 55 percent of high school students graduated with work experience. The most recent U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows it’s now down to around 35 percent, a significant decline that underscores the urgency of the issue.
Agricultural education prepares talent for the full food value chain from production to consumption, and it has a unique approach to education that I haven’t seen replicated anywhere else despite my travels across the country and around the world. Agricultural education combines three parts: classroom instruction, work-based learning, and leadership development to teach students critical thinking, communication and organizational management, entrepreneurship, and interpersonal skills while also helping them explore 350 careers in STEM, business, communications, advocacy, education, and more.
National FFA is the leadership skill development portion of what we call the Three Component Model of agricultural education. FFA’s mission is to help students develop their potential for leadership, personal growth, and career success through workshops, events, projects, community service, and competitions. We’re growing the future leaders who will feed, fuel, clothe and sustain our world and determine how to feed 10 billion people by 2050.
Work-based learning requires students to engage in an internship or start a business under the guidance of their FFA advisor and agriculture teacher, which is called a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE). Budgeting, supply chain management, and marketing are among the skills developed, and important career connections are made. These jobs help students pay for continuing education.
Classroom instruction includes different foundational pathways related to agriculture, food, and natural resources: Animal Systems, Plant Systems, Environmental Sustainability, Agribusiness, Biotechnology, Food Products, Education, Communication, and Leadership, Natural Resources, and Power, Structural, and Technical Systems. Agricultural education spans from hydroponic and wind farms to welding and governance.
This comprehensive education model gives students hands-on, engaging lab work and technical expertise, provides them a mentor in the walls of their school, and instills life and leadership skills they’ll take with them whichever route they take. It’s a model of education that works, and it could and should be something all schools look at and incorporate into their programming. Especially with the new diploma requirements being rolled out at the state level, our school administrators, guidance counselors, teachers, and parents should know the opportunities available through agricultural education.
FFA reached an important milestone this year, exceeding one million members, the most in our history. This success is a testament to the impact of agricultural education and the dedication of our students and educators.
Our membership continues to grow and flourish, and more than 70,000 of those members are expected in Indianapolis this week for the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo. We are grateful to the 265 corporations and universities exhibiting at our largest annual gathering, as well as the more than 700 companies and partners who support us throughout the year with funding, volunteering and judging competitions, and more to support our students, educate them on opportunities, and recruit future leaders. We also thank the city of Indianapolis and the state of Indiana for their unwavering support of our organization and this event.