At this 4-hour taster day in Canterbury, students and teachers are invited to get hands-on at a dairy farm. They’ll get an introduction to a career in the dairy industry and find out more about the NextGen programme. This taster day is for students who enjoy problem-solving, technology, science and animals, and have leadership qualities.

If students enjoy the taster day, they are then encouraged to sign-up for the NextGen Dairy Farmers Programme. This involves a three-week pre-employment training programme in December with 15 other NextGen future farmers then, in January 2024, they’ll start a job on a Canterbury farm with a vetted employer. In the first six months of their job they’ll earn as they learn, work a max of 40 hours per week, and have regular catch-ups with a learning advisor. Dairy farming has so much to offer for the right people.