Cows Create Careers

Thanks to Gardiner Foundation and WestVic Dairy students welcome furry friends to the playground

Through the Cows Create Careers project, students will learn about dairy industry careers in a very hands-on way: for three weeks they will rear and care for two three-week old calves. 

Thanks to Gardiner Foundation and WestVic Dairy twenty-four schools in the South West Victoria region will participate in the Term 3 project during 2021. A local dairy farmer will teach the students how to care for the calves and demonstrate skills such as animal husbandry, feeding and weighing. An Industry Advocate will also visit the students to speak about their career in the dairy industry.

Each school is provided with dairy industry curriculum for years 7-11, at no cost, and students form teams to complete industry-based assessments.

John Hutchison, Jaydee Events director, said the innovative project highlights the diversity of skills and professional careers within Australia’s vibrant dairy industry: “Cows Create Careers allows students to engage with the dairy industry in a fun and hands-on way - all while highlighting the range of university, vocational and professional pathways within the industry," he said.

Cows Create Careers was originally established in 2004 with dairy farmers in the Strzelecki Lions Club in Victoria and nine Gippsland schools. The project has since been supported by industry, regional development programs, dairy farmers and sponsors. It has now grown to over 230 schools across Australia with 12,000 students completing the project in 2020.

And not even a global pandemic could stop the successful project. Last year two calves starred on the small-screen as students across Australia learnt about dairy industry careers via a virtual-classroom. This year, the furry stars are gearing up to return to the playground once again.

“While Cows Create Careers increases student awareness of the dairy industry, the benefits of the project extend well-beyond the classroom,” John said. “It opens opportunities for students to engage with the dairy industry, creates links to their local community, and allows them to learn new skills.”

“Since the project’s inception, we have been continually encouraged by the personal growth and opportunities that have evolved from the project, for both the students and project volunteers”.

The project’s volunteers are vital to the ongoing success of Cows Create Careers. Coming from various professional dairy careers, volunteers speak to the students about their experiences in the industry, support students in career decision making, and have important links to education and employment sectors. Last year alone 362 passionate volunteers gave 1,810 hours of their time across 23 Australian dairying regions.

In 2021 the project receives additional support across the state from local companies MaxCare, Reid Stockfeeds, Dasco, Daviesway, Peach Teats and Skellerup who have continued to support the project in the South West Victoria region.

Upon completion of the project, students and teachers will be recognised at an interactive Presentation Day, where there will be industry-based games and prizes awarded to the winning teams and schools. The Presentation Day for the South West Victoria region will be held on Tuesday 12th October 2021.