remote learning for hga learn students

The majority of our students are undertaking a National Diploma in Farm Management which involves 18 months of theoretical studies after which students need to complete 18 months of in-service training which is what HGA Learn was set up to cater for.

The qualification has recently been revised and the requirements students are to meet while doing their in-service training have become more rigorous. Unfortunately there is a definite incompatibility with some of the requirements and what students can realistically be exposed to or be entrusted with while on a commercial farm. To navigate these changes we have set up a process of remote learning with the students where, through the use of a smartphone or laptop, students can utilise applications for the completion of tutorials. Students use hypothetical data to complete exercises that are based on actual tasks that would need to be carried on out the farms on which they are based. An example is learning how to monitor staff hours and calculate remuneration through the use of Google Sheets.

We are encouraged that curriculums are being revised and hope that through our engagement with tertiary institutions we can help to fine-tune agricultural qualifications to make them more relevant to the agricultural workspace today and better equip students for this.