The national Cows Create Careers project has opened students eyes to dairy industry job opportunities, thanks to SADA and Dairy SA.

More than 11,680 students across Australia are involved this year, with students rearing and caring for two three-week old calves for three weeks a highlight of the project.

Participating Limestone Coast schools include Compton Primary School, Millicent High School, Allendale East Area School, Lucindale Area School, St Martin’s Lutheran College, Apsley Primary School and Kingston Community School.

The project is run by Jaydee Events and director John Hutchison said the innovative project highlighted 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,” Mr Hutchison said.

“While Cows Create Careers increases student awareness of the dairy industry, the benefits of the project extend well-beyond the classroom.

“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.”

Volunteers from various dairy careers are crucial to the ongoing success of the project, with 374 volunteers dedicating 1870 hours of their time across 23 Australian dairying regions last year.

A local dairy farmer teaches students how to care for the calves, demonstrating skills including animal husbandry, feeding, and weighing.

An industry advocate also speaks to students about their career in the dairy industry and major supply partner MaxCare supplied milk powder nationally to Cows Create Careers farmers and schools.

Compton Primary School Year 5/6 teacher Katie Gaffney said students were enjoying the Cows Create Careers project.

“It definitely sparks a lot of enjoyment and excitement for the kids,” Miss Gaffney said.

“I think they have found it really valuable learning about the dairy industry and the possible career pathways, and having that responsibility of looking after the calves has been fantastic for them.

“Some of them have got lots of experience with animals, some of them really do not have much at all, so it is good they are all getting a chance to give it a go.

“It teaches them responsibility, which is great.

“It also opens them up to the possibilities of career pathways in the dairy industry, which is so important, especially being in the Limestone Coast region for the country kids.”

Ben and Angela Tweddle from Benlargo Holsteins provided the calves, which the class named Daisy and Jessie, and the students were allocated to groups on a calf feeding roster.

“They have one day a week they are rostered on to look after them and everyone is responsible for ensuring the calves are okay and checking in on them,” Miss Gaffney said.

Miss Gaffney said the Cows Create Careers project was a great opportunity for students to experience hands-on learning.

“It teaches them lots about the dairy industry,” she said.

“They give them milk every morning, they weigh them every day with our weight tape, they give them grain, give them hay, make sure their pen is clean, fresh water every day.

“Along with that there are some learning programs involved, so they do a PowerPoint or a MooTube movie, so that is about a career pathway in the dairy industry, or they do some learning in groups.”

Although the calves have now left the school grounds, the project will continue with ongoing learning until the end of this month.

“We will have a presentation day in week 10 of this term, which is online with all the other schools in South Australia who participate in the program,” Miss Gaffney said.

Industry-based games and prizes will be awarded to winning teams and schools on the interactive presentation day.

The Cows Create Careers project is sponsored by Total Result Ag Consulting, South East Vets, Grant District Council and La Casa del Formaggio.