20 students will be accepted into the program for Fall 2023
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
A post-secondary school in Alberta launched a new program for people interested in communicating within the agriculture industry.
Olds College is providing an Agriculture Communications certificate program beginning in the Fall 2023 semester.
Interested students can apply now. Only 20 will be accepted into the inaugural program.
The one-year program, offered online, will help prepare students for careers in marketing and communication through individual courses on subjects like social media, crisis communications and media production.
“Our students will learn both the fundamentals of marketing and communications, along with specific competencies in agriculture advocacy,” Debbie Thompson, VP of academic & student experience at Olds College, said in a statement.
Agriculture is a complex industry with many stories.
From innovative research to farmers applying new technologies to make their operations more sustainable, the industry needs skilled communicators to ensure these stories are told.
“Agriculture has important stories to tell,” Bertrand Bickersteth, a communications instructor in the Werklund School of Agriculture, said in a statement. “Graduates from this program will be equipped to work in the industry to share these stories in meaningful ways.”
In addition to the online learning, students will complete a 14-week internship within the agriculture and agri-food industry, giving them an opportunity to apply their knowledge in real-world settings.