30 students are set to visit the LAMMA show as part of a commitment to promote diversity and inclusivity in the agricultural industry.
The students will visit this event, which takes place tomorrow and Thursday (January 17-18), alongside the education branch of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU Education) and Agriconnect.
The Year 9 students from Birmingham and Coventry will get to see the agricultural machinery and equipment show at the NEC in Birmingham.
The students will receive a guided tour around the show by NFU Farmers for Schools Ambassadors.
As well as this, the students will take part in 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.
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.”
Future careers
Agriconnect marketing manager Sophie Jackson-Holgate said the event will present the agricultural industry as a career option for students.
“We’re really excited to welcome NFU students to LAMMA and show them around the biggest machinery event in agriculture in the UK,” she said.
“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 & Ireland manager Charlie Rollason said: “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 and agricultural engineering.”
