Olds College has joined forces with Calgary Board of Education to bring an agricultural technology program to city classrooms.
Olds College of Agriculture & Technology will be offering the classes through its dual-credit program and as part of the Calgary board’s Unique Pathways program that allows high school students to earn high school and college credits.
“We are very excited to partner with the CBE to bring agriculture education to urban learners,” said Jay Steeves, dean of Werklund School of Agriculture Technology at Olds College, in a statement.
“Agriculture is an exciting industry that offers many career opportunities that include both urban and rural settings. We are looking for students who are interested in robotics, technology, business and problem solving. Agriculture offers careers with corporations in downtown Calgary, to careers in rural farm settings.”
The first course — Solving Technology Problems - Design Thinking and Robotics — will be available to Calgary high school students in Grade 11 or 12 during the second semester in February 2023. Students will earn five high school credits, and three post-secondary credits.
In the course students will use different technologies, like 3D printing and robotic, to design, create, test and evaluate a prototype that addresses an issue in the agriculture industry.
CBE education director Ken Weipert said the course will break down barriers connecting future technology jobs in the agriculture industry to urban students.