Industry Insights and Discovery of Online Courses

Part of discovering your career interests is researching your industry. Each industry is different with its unique challenges and trends and filled with vast opportunities just waiting to be discovered.

Researching an industry that intrigues you starts with visiting industry specific websites. For example, if you are a horticultural student, websites of note include the Citrus Growers Association, Citrus Academy, SAMAC (Macadamia), SUBTROP (Avocado, Mango and Litchie), Hortgro (Deciduous fruit), BerriesZA, SA Table Grape Industry, PotatoesSA, and FruitSA. These resources provide valuable insights into industry trends, challenges and opportunities.

Photo by Isaac Smith on Unsplash

For example, the Citrus Growers Association website shares current affairs and a weekly newsletter from the CEO, Justin Chadwick. Stay informed about the latest developments in the citrus industry here. Researching your career not only keeps you updated but also helps you discover new opportunities in your chosen field. You can do this by simply searching for opportunities for online courses, which are often offered by industry organisations.

For example, the Citrus Academy is a non-profit company established in 2005 by the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa to enable human resource development in the Southern African citrus industry. Here you will find short citrus courses such as the Ready-Steady-Work Programme, a citrus production course and more. You will also find citrus master class, a course that was developed to address a need for a deeper knowledge and understanding about individual aspects of citrus production practices. Citrus Academy even offers bursaries.

Why are additional courses important?

Additional courses are crucial for several reasons:

Enhance Your Knowledge: They help you deepen your understanding of your field.

Build Your CV: They add valuable credentials to your resume, making you more competitive in the job market.

Career Clarity: They provide insights and direction, helping you decide how to advance in your career.

Let’s say you are studying Animal Science. Researching Animal Science in depth may confirm your decision of wanting to be a ruminant nutritionist. This gives you a goal to work towards, as you now know what you want to do in the future. It will be to your advantage to investigate possible additional courses you can do after graduating, for example the Animal Feed Manufacturers Association (AFMA) has feed milling courses available. The AFMA Livestock Feed Miller Operator E-learning Program has a blended approach, as it combines theory and the practical components. It has different modules, from the Feed Milling Environment to Operational Leadership. A work-based integrated learning program is used, so that you retain the knowledge better.  The Feed Miller short course is also presented once a year in a classroom set-up at an appropriate venue, spanning over several days. Although this course is not for free, it will equip you with all the knowledge you need to know to enter this sector successfully.

Courses and practical work are advantageous to have on your CV, proving to a potential employer that you have a genuine interest in your field of study.  And of course, experience, such as practical work during student holidays or even job shadowing, always counts in your favour.

The last thing you want is an “empty CV,” where you lack experience and haven’t completed any additional courses. People with an “empty CV” often struggle the most with finding work. However, you can avoid this by investigating additional training courses as mentioned.

Here are some industry specific websites that you can visit:

Horticulture:

Animal Science:

Food Science:

    Industrial Engineering:

    Agribusiness

    Examples of additional courses (classroom and online):

    Researching a specific industry of interest gives you a goal to work towards and exposes you to the different challenges, opportunities and trends in that industry. Doing courses is good for your professional development and it enhances your CV. Let us avoid the “empty CV” phenomenon.

    Compiled by Marianne van der Laarse and Tanja Werle