Charles Sturt University (CSU) has received the first two specialist agriculture education practitioners from the University of Kentucky in a three-way partnership with The Scots School, Bathurst.

Dr Shevahn Telfser, manager of CSU Global, said, "This is a new pilot program with one of our most successful university partners, the University of Kentucky.

"The agriculture students will undertake an eight-week placement at The Scots School which will be the capstone honours placement for high-achieving students from Kentucky," Dr Telfser said.

"The students, who have come to Australia through the CSU Global exchange program, will have the opportunity to teach students from Years 7 to 12 at an Australian school. This will be their last placement before graduating upon their return to the US in May."

The US students' main responsibility will be teaching and learning about the Australian curriculum, and learning and teaching pedagogies. They will take some field trips with students in the Bachelor of Agricultural Business Management at the CSU School of Agricultural and Wines Sciences in Orange, and will be involved with the social programs on offer at CSU in Bathurst.

In addition, the students will visit several regional agricultural shows and the Sydney Royal Easter Show where they will assist with the annual steer program of The Scots School.

Dr Telfser said, "We hope to expand the program in the future to provide an opportunity for students from Kentucky in other disciplines, including primary education".

"If the pilot program is successful, we will examine extending the program to students from other international universities.

"However, at this point we are only negotiating with the University of Kentucky, which is using it as an incentive/reward for their high-achieving students."On a recent visit to Australia, Dr Stacy Vincent, the course director of the Agriculture Education Program at the University of Kentucky, also met Dr Yann Guisard from the CSU School of Agricultural and Wines Sciences in Orange to plan a reciprocal visit for CSU students to Kentucky later in the year.