St Paul S Collegiate School Centre of Excellence for Agricultural Science and Business (OHT1)

St Paul’s Collegiate School
Centre of Excellence for
Agricultural Science and Business ™(OHT1)

Background(OHT2)

St Paul’s Collegiate School Hamilton is an independent secondary school under the governance of the Waikato Anglican Trust Board. Current role of 690 students, of whom nearly 300 are boarders. Single sex in the junior school and coeducational in the senior school. Around 55% of our parents have careers linked to the primary industries sector, both up to and beyond the farm gate. Our students are an almost even mix of rural and urban.

This presentation follows us on our journey of establishing a private - public partnership with the agribusiness sector in order to produce a fully resourcednew subject, Agribusiness, for all NZ schools at NCEA Levels 2 and 3 that is University Entrance and Scholarship approved.

Grant and I have enjoyed an amazing journey over the last 24 months. We have visited numerous corporate boardrooms, spoken to key figures in the NZ Agribusiness sector, addressed conferences, met Minsters and have gained a not insignificant knowledge of the needs of the agribusiness sector and how it operates. We saw this as an opportunity to showcase true collaboration between industry, schools, government, tertiary partners and community.

Independent schools and educational leadership

As independent schools, it can be argued that we don’t take a leadership role as often in educational matters as we perhaps should. Part of this is because we are often seen as elitist and self-serving by the public and state schools.

Private-Public Partnerships

In the development of this Agribusiness initiative, we used a private-public partnership model, using funding raised primarily by private sector partners (and in conjunction with them), to produce a viable teaching and learning subjectfor all NZ secondary schools to usei.e. it will be given away to schools.

Public money will be required in the form of professional development / retraining of teachers through a variety of avenues.

WHERE DID WE START?

Grant joined SPC in late 2009 and I joined in 2011. During this year Grant (Commerce teaching background) and I (Science teaching background) began speculative conversations on the need for a relevant curriculum for academically capable students in the agricultural sector.

In 2012 St Paul’s re-introduced Agricultural/Horticultural Science (achievement standards based) as a subject for Year 11, initially as a way to determine the level of interest within the school. The large uptake showed there was considerable student interest in this initiative (Level 2 was introduced in 2013 for Year 12 and Level 3 in 2014 for Year 13 students).

In 2012, the SPC Board paid $20000 to market researchers (Xponential)to survey 50 key people in the St Paul’s community to provide ideas and inform its future strategic direction, particularly in terms of capital projects. The results reaffirmed that farming has always been a cornerstone of St Paul’s Collegiate School, particularly through association with its boarding community and that as a school we were seen as not doing enough for the sector and for our students.

55% of our parents were involved in Agribusiness at some point from “gate to glass” i.e. somewhere along the Value Chain

Advisory Group(OHT3)

The survey results and the interest generated led to the Board changing its thinking / direction,and following an initial “think tank” with our agribusiness connected parents and a regional Young Farmers group early in 2013, St Paul’s set up an Advisory Group made up of industry leaders and tertiary institution representatives to explore the idea of developing a dedicated agribusiness curriculum in senior secondary schools. The group was of the view that the current courses available in schools did not adequately do this, particularly beyond the farm gate. The intention of the Advisory Group was, and still is, to address what would best meet the sector’s current and future needs.

The key goal of the group was to establish a pilot programme for a Centre of Excellence for Agricultural Science and BusinessTM. The Group to date has guided the school on the types of experiences that a leading edge secondary school Centre of Excellence in Agricultural Science and Business should offer its students.

A key point of difference in what followed has been the development of a draft Agribusiness subject that is a product of a close partnership between a sector determined to play a significant part in meeting its own needs and a high achieving academic school, rather than by an educational body that has tried to predict the needs of the industry.

The Current Advisory Group

Glen BealCampbell Tyson

Dean Bell Waikato Milking Systems

Jon Calder New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays Society

Alan Cottington AGrowQuip

Jason CowanBNZ Business Partners

Tony Egan Greenlea Premier Meats

Peter Hampton Deputy Headmaster Academic, St Paul’s Collegiate School

David Hemara Dairy Goat Co-operative New Zealand

Blair Hoad Livestock Improvement Corporation

John Jackson Farmer, St Paul’s Board member and current parent

Grant Lander Headmaster, St Pauls’ Collegiate School

Doug Macredie Beef + Lamb New Zealand

Tony Moffat Lincoln University

Peter NationGallagher Group

Malcolm Nitschke AGMARDT

William Oliver Farmer and current parent

James Ormsby Waitomo Petroleum

Dr Tom Richardson AgResearch (Chair)

John Reeves Farmer, St Paul’s Board member and current parent

Prof Jacqueline RowarthUniversity of Waikato

Jennifer Seed Zoetis

Michael Spaans Board of director at DairyNZ, Board of director at Fonterra and current parent

Susan Stokes Dairy NZ

David Walker Spark

Terry Youngman Anexa Animal Health & Cognosco

Video Clips(OHT4)

Let us show you some video clips of key parts of our journey to set the scene for our presentation. Video of our first promo 2014

Market research(OHT5)

• Agriculture is how New Zealand earns a living and together with forestry generates about 70% of our merchandising export earnings and around 12% of Gross Domestic Product (Source: Ministry of Primary Industries).

• The primary industries and government agencies are telling us they need the brightest and the best students to take up careers in agribusiness.

• The agribusiness sector in New Zealand has major skill shortages across the value chain now, let alone in the future. “The forecast findings show that across the primary industries there will be a growing demand for professional skills such as engineering, science, and management. ….. the workforce of the future may look very different. In many cases jobs will be more specialised and will require people with strong educational backgrounds ….. and an increasing demand for more people in occupations with higher qualifications, especially for professional degrees in field of specialisation aligned with the value chain” (Source: Ministry for Primary Industries – People Powered).

• “The government has set an ambitious target of doubling our primary sector exports by 2025. To get there we will need investment, innovation, market development and a skilled workforce. The government estimates the sector will need to employ another 50,000 people by 2025, half of them requiring tertiary or level 4 qualifications” (Source: Honourable Nathan Guy: Minister for Primary Industries).

• Agricultural and Horticultural Science numbers at senior secondary school are in decline. Level 3 NCEA Agricultural and Horticultural Science over the four years since 2010 has averaged around 440 students per year and shows little sign of increasing. This compares with an average of 14,000 students taking Level 3 NCEA English and 7,500 taking Chemistry, while the language subjects; Maori (600) and French (800) had more interest from the country’s most senior secondary school students. Scholarship figures are even more alarming with an average of just 36 students actually sitting Scholarship Agricultural and Horticultural Science across the whole country (Source: NZQANational Statistics Reports 2010 -2013).

• Agricultural and Horticultural Science does not have a high profile as a career pathway. The public perception is that agricultural and horticultural courses are for less able students. School and community perceptions of the importance of agribusiness to New Zealand need improving, and the opportunities and pathways that are available are not recognised or well known. In particular there is a need to engage the urban sector with the primary sector which politically is so very important for New Zealand’s future.

• “DairyNZ estimate an annual need of 1,000 agriculture-related graduates to keep the industry healthy and growing” (Source: Mark Paine: DairyNZ Strategy and Investment Leader).

• Thecurrent Agribusiness (Agricultural Science, Agricultural Commerce etc.)graduate requirements for New Zealand are 1,000 annually (Sources: Mark Paine (DairyNZ, 2014); Andrew West (Lincoln University Vice Chancellor, 2014). The 2014 numbers of Agribusiness students graduating from New Zealand universities was approximately 250(Source: Andrew West (Lincoln University Vice Chancellor 2014). Therefore, there is a current shortfall of approximately 750 annually. Future Shortfall = ??

Conclusions from Research(OHT6)

1. There is currently no senior New Zealand secondary school course that looks to interest and engage academic tertiary capable students into careers in the agribusiness sector beyond the farm gate.

1. There is a national need for a new subject, Agribusiness, designed to be attractive to academic students strong in Sciences at Years 12 and 13 (especially Agricultural and Horticultural Science, Chemistry, Biology,) and to those students strong in Commerce at Years 12 and 13 (Accounting, Economics, Business Studies),

1. There is an urgent need for initiatives that provide better links between secondary schools, tertiary institutions and the agribusiness sector.

Our Solution(OHT7)

1. In early 2014 the St Paul’s Collegiate School Board, in conjunction with a sector Advisory Group made the decision to investigate the establishment of new Agribusiness courses at NCEA Levels 2 and 3.

1. The Boardalso made the decision to construct a dedicated building on site to be known as The Centre of Excellence for Agricultural Science and Business.

1. St Paul’s Collegiate School, through a public – private partnership would look to develop and deliver an Agribusiness programme to secondary schools in New Zealand that meets the industry’s long term needs to develop highly skilled and motivated young people, required for a sustainable future of the primary sector. This would l be a pioneering programme of national significance that will stimulate careers in agricultural science and business and encourage tertiary capable young people to proactively select career pathways in the sector.
2. Thesubject called Agribusiness to be taught at NCEA Levels 2 and 3 and be UE and Scholarship approved

1. It would be accessible to all NZ schools with the curriculum development, resourcing and roll out initially paid for by private sector partners.

1. Government (public sector) would be asked to fund the retraining / training of teachers in agribusiness.

1. Tertiary institutions would need to be part of the process

1. The Board also agreed to begin establishing partnerships with key businesses / organisations from the agribusiness sectorwho supported the initiative.

The Partnership Model(OHT8)

SPC put together a three tier partnership structure model

• Three principal partners (Dairy NZ, Beef and Lamb NZ and SPC)

• Up to 10 business partners(we felt we had the ability to serviceand maintain no more than 10)

• Scholarship partners

Two principal partners that would bring huge sector credibility and influence to the initiative were targetedfirst, through the development of collateral that lead to formal proposals being made and eventually accepted. DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand

Forming Partnerships(OHT9)

We then developed a specific business proposal for each prospective business partner that considered:

• Potential specific partnership leverage opportunities in terms of industry benefits and opportunities, PR opportunities and branding opportunities over 3 years
• What the co-investment would be spent on
• Whether the prospective partner wanted to form the relationship directly with SPC or was the focus on supporting the development of the programme and its roll out or both
• whether the prospective partner was a nationally distributed business or regional business

Note:

1. Only one business partner from each key agribusiness sector was to bechosen (the Advisory Group helped us with this) eg only one bank (BNZ in fact)

1. Each chosen business partner must be acceptable to the principal partners in terms of business synergies.

1. Specific collateral was prepared for each business we approached. Negotiations followed with each, some more protracted than others, and then contracts/ partnership agreements drawn up with each individual business/ corporate.

1. With the two principal partners, quarterly online investment schedules and reporting systems were established with St Paul’s

1. Some agribusiness companies and trusts were interested in providing scholarships for students to attend SPC and be taught the programme, rather than the other options.

Note:

The St Paul's Collegiate School Board have since successfully established partnerships with a range of key businesses and organisations from the agribusiness sector who are incredibly enthusiastic about the initiative. These business are contributing over $2 million to support the initiative financially.

The three Principal Partners are:(OHT 10 – the diagram)

St Paul’s Collegiate School, DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand,

The ten Business Partners are:

Bank of New Zealand,

Livestock Improvement Corporation,

Zoetis (Animal Health),

New Zealand National Fieldays Society,

AGMARDT (Agricultural Marketing and Research Development Trust),

Greenlea (Meat Processors),

Waikato Milking Systems (Dairy Equipment),

AGrowQuip (Farm Machinery),

Waitomo Petroleum

Campbell Tyson (Accounting and Advisory Services)

Note: Further potential partners have approached us in recent weeks as well.

Naming Rights partner

In addition we have secured a naming rights partner for the Centre of Excellence for Agricultural science and Business building, nearing completion on site at St Paul’s Collegiate.

The Gallagher Group

Partnership Benefits to SPC(OHT11)

• Roll growth (in conjunction with increasing our boarding capacity, another Board capital project) through attracting senior students into programmefrom other schools or at Year 9 level through programme interest, and through student Scholarships

• We have a kind of moral high ground in that while we as a school are taking a significant financial investment/ risk to develop the programme, we are giving away the programme and resources free to other schools

• SPC will get acknowledgement of being innovative, leading a curriculum innovation of national significance

• Meeting the needs of our parents and students

• Raising our profile as a leader in this sector – tangible and intangible benefits – publicity, marketing, profiling of the programme – we have had radio interviews, newspaper articles, television documentaries, presented at several conferences, met with the Ministers of Education and Primary Industries etc

• There are lots of key profiling opportunities for the school and its partners in the years ahead as well.

• We are now targeting smaller donors to our building through cottage evenings – one held recently with 8 families at a parents residence raised $200000

• The networks we have generated and re generated within our community and the goodwill received from Old Collegians is hard to put a price on, but we have definitely reconnected with large parts of our community.

• The programme and the interest generated (tiger by the tail) has already resulted in a bequeath to the school of a farm.

• Tertiary Scholarship and employment opportunities for our students with the sector

Video clips of Launch and Mark Paine Dairy NZ, via Campbell Tyson interview (OHT 12)

Benefits to principal partners(OHT 13)

• Fulfils their industry good criteria to support the development of and roll out of the agribusiness programme across the country

• They aredirectly involved in the development of the programme through a working party containing reps from the three principal partners

• They got to decide where the first Centre of Excellence for Agricultural Science and BusinessTM lead schools will be - important for their shareholders to see it across the country – they want some city schools too*

• They have quality control on the Centre of Excellence for Agricultural Science and BusinessTM programme through the trademarking

• Longitudinal researchthrough Waikato University on the longer term impact of the programme, through surveying and tracking students, will provide valuable information for the sector and for principal partners shareholders

• They will have ongoing input into the programme over time

• Acknowledgement through taking leadership in the sector and being aligned with a project of national significance

• Wanting to be involved in a quality brand like independent schools

• Access to Centre for functions/seminars (cater for 180 people)

• Advertising through school outlets billboards, Old Collegian magazines etc

• Branding opportunities

• Recognition / profiling at promotional functions

*All three principal partners recognise that positively changing minds and hearts of the urban people towards the agricultural sector in general is a key driver of the programme as the political muscle of the future is more and more in the urban centres

Benefits to Business partners(OHT 14)

• Acknowledgement as a business partnertaking leadership in the sector and being aligned with a project of national significance

• Wanting to be involved in a quality brand like independent schools

• Access to Centre for functions/seminars (cater for 180 people)

• Advertising through school outlets billboards, old collegian magazines etc

• Branding opportunities at Centre and on bus

• Recognition at promotional functions

• Access to our students and their families

• Advisory group representation – input into the development of Agribusiness as a subject and to be involved in a review group with other stakeholders every three years as subject is so dynamic.

The Journey Continues(OHT 15)