BY the time they’re nearing the completion of their course, most students only have the end of the tunnel in their sights. The move from education into the job market is an exciting opportunity for students to finally use their new skills in real-life practical settings.
What sets new graduates apart in their job search is how much their education has prepared them for the changing world of agriculture. Students need to be ahead of the game in innovation while also having a deep understanding of their industry.
“We are seeing a real boom in agriculture and looking at where students need to be in order to be nationally and globally competitive – it’s around using and understanding new technologies,” says Dr Simon Livingstone, Principal of Marcus Oldham College.
What makes Marcus Oldham College unique is that it’s an independent tertiary college, and has been since it opened its doors in 1962. It has a long-standing reputation for reputation for preparing business leaders who pursue successful careers in the agriculture, agribusiness and equine sectors.
As a budding agriculture student, it’s important to be aware of the quality of the facilities when choosing where to begin your education journey, in order to get the best outcomes for your future. Marcus Oldham is taking this a step further by investing in a new state-of-the-art Learning Centre at its
Geelong campus. The College has also redesigned its course structures to give students the opportunity to enter into an exciting career faster.
The result of a five-year planning process, the $10 million Learning Centre is due to open in time for the 2020 academic year, allowing the College to grow, improve on its educational capabilities, introduce new technologies and remain competitive with neighbouring universities.
Sitting in a prime location on the campus, the centre will form the academic heart of the College where students, staff and the wider College community can come together.
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The architect's impression of the innovative new Learning Centre. It is due to open in the 2020 academic year.
The features of the new Learning Centre
- Academic offices allow students and lecturers to have one-on-one interaction and build better bonds.
- Three flexible learning spaces support modern teaching concepts, including large group learning and real-world working environments.
- External teaching spaces provide students with invaluable practical insight and hands-on experiences.
- A reading lounge to complement the wellness and resilience program embedded in all academic courses.
- A meeting room connecting global industry leaders.
- Innovative technological and communication systems giving students seamless connection to the world.
- Virtual interaction, recording and editing facilities.
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Architect's impression of inside the Learning Centre's flexible spaces.
New course structure allows students to get jobs faster
Educational institutions are becoming aware of the changing world that we live in. Students place an importance on getting through the doors faster – allowing them to secure and reach their career goals sooner.
One of the most significant changes to the way Marcus Oldham runs is that the College has shortened the duration of its Agriculture and Agribusiness courses for 2020. Both courses have been reduced by a year, without altering the content or outcomes. The aim it to leverage off previous experience and learning to produce a graduate who is fully prepared for the workforce.
College staff have had substantial input into the redesign of both courses and educators have welcomed the new accelerated approach to undergraduate studies. Students starting in the 2020 intake will benefit from the redesign.
Under the new modelling,
Bachelor of Business (Agriculture) will be reduced from four years to three and
Bachelor of Business (Agribusiness) from three years to two. The courses will run from February to December over three trimesters instead of the current two semesters.
Overall, the new courses will include the same amount of course work and assessments as the current courses. As for all Marcus Oldham courses, students will be required to have pre-entry experience to enrol and will build on that with practical work integrated with their studies.
So if you’re an aspiring agriculture student and interested in getting your foot in the door faster without the hassle of cutting your coursework, then check out Marcus Oldham’s Marcus Minds event.
Marcus Minds Weekend Event
Marcus Minds is a free two-day event giving prospective students a chance to explore the College, meet staff and get a feel for what studying at Marcus Oldham could be like.
Who: open to anyone eligible to attend Marcus Oldham from 2020. Participants must be 18 years or over.
When: 20-22 September 2019.
Where: Marcus Oldham, Waurn Ponds, Victoria.
Booking: marcusoldham.vic.edu.au or call 03 5243 3533 by Friday 6 September 2019.