Ten Year 11 students from four Orange district high schools will commence a university course at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange from July 2011 as a part of their Higher School Certificate studies.

 

“This is the first such course in NSW and we believe in Australia,” said CSU School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences course director Dr Yann Guisard. “Interestingly, all the students who are about to enter the course are girls.”

 

Three from Orange High, two from Blayney High, one from The Canobolas Rural Technology High and four students from Canowindra High School will commence the accelerated course in Agricultural Business Management at the Orange Campus at the beginning of term three in July 2011. The course will run until April 2012.

 

“Successful students in the pilot program will gain automatic entry into the full range of agriculture degree courses offered by Charles Sturt University provided they satisfactorily meet the requirements of the Higher School Certificate,” says Dr Guisard.

 

The program is part of the e2 project, a curriculum collaboration of five secondary schools including Blayney High, Canobolas High, Orange High, Molong Central, and Anson Street schools which offers a broad and diverse array of subjects taught by specialists.

 

Anson Street Agriculture Teacher Mr David Gell, who was part of the e2 agriculture teachers and university staff who designed the course said he was “excited by the prospects this course offered in getting some of our best young students into agricultural careers through tertiary study at Charles Sturt University”.

 

Each of the 10 students has been granted a scholarship by local organisations to cover the $1000 HECS fee attached to the course. Those organisations include the Rotary Clubs of Orange, Orange North, Orange Daybreak and Blayney, Syngenta Australia, Nestle Purina at Blayney, AGnVET Services and The NSW Farmers Association.