Description

What does it take to build a smart, safe, and sustainable business in agriculture?

This hands-on program is designed for VCE VM students and explores innovation in agriculture, clean energy, and enterprise. Through industry engagement, practical activities, and collaborative design challenges, students gain insights into real workplace expectations while building technical and employability skills.

Available as a 3–6 day program, VM Work Skills (Agriculture) immerses students in the Yarra Valley agricultural industry, exploring safety protocols, emerging technologies (including AI), soil science, financial management, and product development. Students take part in industry tours, complete workplace documentation (risk assessments, journals), and develop a marketable agri-tourism solution, which they prototype and pitch to an audience.

The program explicitly supports Work Related Skills outcomes, including planning, safe work practices, collaboration, technology use, and presentation of solutions in work-like contexts.

Module 1: Introduction and Industry Tours
Students visit two Yarra Ranges agricultural sites to explore innovative technologies in action, including current uses of AI and machine learning. Through reflective journaling, they begin to understand the structure, opportunities, and challenges in agri-business.

Module 2: Safe Workplaces and Soil Testing
Focusing on the role of AI and occupational health and safety, students explore risk prevention in both indoor and outdoor agricultural environments. Students collect and test samples using field kits, record their findings, and explore the importance of soil health in long-term agricultural planning.

Module 3: Farming and Financial Literacy
Students run a virtual rooftop farm, managing resources and interpreting yield data to make financially sound decisions. Through analysis and group discussion, they explore how economic choices shape the future of farming.

Module 4: Sustainability in Marketing
With a focus on sustainable practices, students explore UN sustainable goals within their projects and delve into marketing and branding techniques using design software.

Module 5: Prototyping, and Product Design
Students bring together everything they’ve learned to begin prototyping their farm concept – from agri-tourism innovations to packaging, services, or technologies. Branding, visual communication, and entrepreneurial thinking are emphasised.

Module 6: Pitch Presentation
Students practise public speaking and presentation techniques before delivering a final pitch of their marketable farm or product idea. Using a pitch deck and peer feedback, they present to an audience and reflect on the journey from idea to enterprise.