On 29 September the Year 11 class attended the Fonterra Careers Day where we were driven around the Edendale factory in a bus stopping at various points. We got to see inside the coolstores to see the robots in action. We then travelled to Woodlands to Dinnington’s Robot Farm which was fascinating!

Another busy year for the Primary ITO Trade Academy is coming to an end. We had one student leave half way through the year after gaining employment on a local farm and another two students left at the end of Term Three to work in the agricultural industry.

The Year 11 students have enjoyed many field trips to various primary industries including the Invercargill Weather Station, Laughtons Crop Farm, Wairaki Station, Blueberry Country, and the Lorneville Saleyards to name just a few. These students have decided what type of farm they want to gain work experience on next year and we are already trying to find farmers to accommodate them. Please contact me for further details if you think you would like to have a Year 12 student gain work experience on your farm one day a week in 2023.

Our Year 12 students completed a First Aid and Health & Safety Course and have gained invaluable experience at their farm work placements throughout the year.

Next year we will welcome ten new students into the programme and look forward to helping them start their primary industry journey.

A huge thank you to the farmers who supported our students to gain valuable practical skills, and to those individuals and businesses who have accommodated us for our field trips. We are very lucky to have such great community support.