Students Explore Opportunities at Thinkag Career and Education Expo

Released on November 26, 2014

The federal and provincial governments, along with Cargill, have partnered to sponsor the new thinkAG Career and Education Expo at this year’s Canadian Western Agribition (CWA).

“The agriculture industry offers challenging and exciting careers in a number of different fields,” said Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz.  “This event will allow youth to see first-hand the variety of opportunities that exist, and encourage more youth to look seriously at a career in agriculture.”

“We encourage Saskatchewan’s youth to consider a career in agriculture,” Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart said.  “To ensure the future strength of agriculture and our province, we need to show our youth the education and career opportunities that are in our industry.”

On November 26 and 27, more than 200 high school students from across southern Saskatchewan will take part in half-day learning sessions that show the diversity of agriculture and agri-food industry career and educational opportunities.  The expo’s interactive stations will give students the opportunity to learn from people in the industry while providing teachers with information to complement science and career-oriented curriculum.

“Canadian agriculture plays a key role in meeting the needs of a growing population,” Cargill Limited President Jeff Vassart said.  “There is a broad range of careers in agriculture that help support Canada’s economy through engineering, marketing, sales, science, production and so on.  We are proud to partner with thinkAG to promote the importance of those careers to the broader Canadian and global economy.”

“Canadian Western Agribition is dedicated to raising awareness of the agriculture industry, and the Career and Education Expo is a great addition to that initiative,” CWA President Reed Andrew said.
 
The Career and Education Expo is funded in part through Growing Forward 2, a cost-shared partnership between federal, provincial and territorial governments designed to support an innovative, competitive and profitable Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector.  ThinkAG is a Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture initiative designed to promote opportunities in the agriculture industry.

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For more information, contact:

Angela Hall
Agriculture
Regina
Phone: 306-787-2359
Email: angela.hall@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-527-0521

Jeff English
Office of Gerry Ritz
Phone: 613-773-1059

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa
Phone: 613-773-7972
Cell: 1-866-345-7972