Nowra and St John the Evangelist high schools participated in the six-week program that aimed to increase students’ awareness of dairy industry careers.

A finale will be held in Wollongong on Wednesday, October 22 to present the winning schools and students with their prizes and recognise the hard work of teachers and industry-bodies.

The Cows Create Careers program allowed students the chance to care for two three-week-old calves at school alongside a dairy industry curriculum for years 7 to 11.

St John the Evangelist High School agriculture teacher David Muller said the program was comprehensive and gave students a great insight into the dairy industry.

“They get the chance to look at the entire industry from the calves to milk production and it concentrates on the dairy industry as a career opportunity,” he said.

Local dairy farmers loan the calves to the schools for a three week period and visit the school to teach students how to care for the calves and about their career in the dairy industry.

Dairy Australia’s industry capability program manager Tracy Lloyd said the program was run through 180 schools and last year 8357 students completed it.

“By bringing calves into schools, students have fun learning about the different skills required in the dairy industry,” she said.

“The program has dedicated volunteers who have knowledge of the industry and links to education and employment sectors, encouraging and supporting students and their career decision making.”

This year 15 schools across the South Coast participated in the program.