WHAT is an ideal industry/school partnership?
I've given my opinion on this several times over the past few years.
I'm thinking about it again as I prepare the follow-up to my March column: "Ag's grassroots approach".
The column ends: "I'll be following up with the Harvest Moon top brass: watch this space." (This has yet to happen.)
I had said in my February column ("Teachers need dirty boots"), that to improve and promote agricultural career pathways in line with industry requirements, one way is to have staff in industry and schools who as part of their job make sure there is effective dialogue.
I also wondered if there are any industries and schools in Tasmania which have forged such a relationship.
The industry representative would need to be appointed as a part-time member of the school staff (at the university level they're classified as adjunct faculty.)
What is "an ideal partnership"? Following on from the last sentence, being a part-time member of staff means:
- an ongoing linkage, one day a week, every week. I can't stress this too much - there inevitably will be much more which has been learnt after a year than after a one- off visit;
- One of the staff when there, and a team partner (there are two members in any partnership).
And ideally:
- There is mutual respect. Too often the education partner asserts its dominance.
- There are at least two from industry, so that they can support each other.
Avoiding "us vs them"
THE overarching aim is to use the partnerships to overcome the tacit "us versus them" culture.
This has evolved over the years and tends to be instinctive, rather than consciously considered.
The education "us" tend to look down on the industry "them".
After all, the university is the gatekeeper of knowledge, and don't you out there forget it. (I began this column talking about schools, but many teachers have university degrees.)
It's appropriate to quote again what the agri-ecologist Ali Dugand said in the March column:
"For those who plan to embark on entering the agricultural sector and find themselves daunted by layers of processes that can take the passion out of the original intent, they should spare a thought for the educator, who has been given a brief to deliver, often without relevant formal or practical experience in the particular subject.
"In recent times, as a mature aged student myself, it was apparent to me that the educators had been handed the coursework and were often just a week or so ahead of me.
"Learning together is fine but at what cost? The apprenticeship concept is also a tired model and is essentially cheap labour.
"I have often been called upon to lecture students. Often the educator will comment that the industry insights from a practitioner are a valuable resource, packed with practical hands-on information that they themselves didn't have.
"Industry can take the lead here by recruiting relevant educator capacity as part of their staff complement.
"This will provide industry insights to the education system."
I'll believe it when I see it.
This issue needs an independent evaluation.
- Dr Walker welcomes feedback. E-mail him: JudiandMikeWalker@outlook.com
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