Charles Sturt University (CSU) has risen to the task of finding new ways to promote careers in agriculture, an industry which continues to demand skilled professionals to meet the challenges posed by a changing climate and the global demand for food. The School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences at CSU in Orange and Wagga Wagga has launched the ‘Partners in Agricultural Education’, a collaboration with 30 of agriculture’s leading companies to offer final-year Bachelor of Agricultural Science students the opportunity to spend time in a workplace with skilled mentors. The initiative is in response to confronting statistics that reveal the number of people with tertiary qualifications in the agricultural sector is just seven per cent compared to the national average of 22 per cent in other sectors. Companies involved in the scheme were recently thanked at a function at CSU in Wagga Wagga. Coordinator of the new professional placement subject offered in the Bachelor of Agricultural Science, CSU lecturer Dr Alison Southwell, said, “For students thinking about taking up a degree in agricultural science this opportunity will be a real drawcard. For current students it will build real technical competency in the area of agriculture they hope to pursue, as well as developing the professional skills enabling them to become the industry’s future leaders.” Students will begin applying for placements with participating companies in 2010.