AGRICULTURE students have travelled across the state to converge on the region this week for Longerenong College’s enrolment day.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The day on Wednesday marked the official start of the school year for students.
Business development officer Donna Winfield said she was pleased with the number of students wanting to attend the college in 2018.
“Numbers were slightly down on the past few years, but they were still fantastic,” she said.
“We are still in the building phase of the college and we hope to attract more students every year.”
Mrs Winfield said despite the slight drop, the college was continuing to grow.
The school recorded its highest number of full-time students in 15 years in 2016 and again in 2017.
Mrs Winfield said about half of the college’s new students were female, which had also been a growing trend in the past few years.
“It’s wonderful to see more girls coming to the college each year,” she said.
“It really shows that the industry is changing and more women are wanting to get involved in agriculture.”
Mrs Winfield said students travelled great distances to attend the college.
“We had people from NSW, South Australia, Kangaroo Island, and right across Victoria,” she said.
“Overall, it was a really exciting day and we look forward to welcoming another large group of students to the school.”
Students have now started their orientation program before they get into official classes.
“We have a leadership group that is taking the students around the region this week,” Mrs Winfield said.
“On Thursday they went out to Mt Arapiles and to the Dimboola swimming pool before coming together for dinner.
“The students are also in for an action-packed weekend.”
Mrs Winfield said running activities in the first few days of the term was a great way to welcome new students to the region.
Students will start classes on Monday.
Mrs Winfield said the college was now looking forward to its annual open day later in the year.
“The day is a good chance for anyone wanting to see what the college is all about,” she said.
The day includes farm tours, campus tours, information sessions and show steer parades.
Mrs Winfield said the open day would be on August 12.