Hearing about the farming programmes available via UCOL helped Alana Booth decide what she really wanted to do in life.
Knowing that sitting in an office all day wasn’t for her, and having been exposed to life on a Dannevirke sheep and beef farm, she set her sights on a National Certificate in Farming Skills (Work Ready) after finishing Year 13 at Longburn Adventist College.
“I loved working with animals and motorbikes when I was younger, and I knew I wanted to get out and get my hands dirty,” she says.
The positive things she had heard about the programme’s tutors led her to enrol, and as a graduate she now attributes her success to them. “My tutors taught me so much and I have become more confident in everything I do.”
Meeting new people and making new friends at UCOL was a highlight for Alana. “Going out to the farms and experiencing farm life, going on camps and learning all about the animals, and seeing my friends every day was great.”
Currently working towards her dream job as a Farm Manager, Alana plans to work her way up to the top. “I love showing cows at the A&P show and would like to own some of my own cows and show them.”
In the future, she hopes to become a tutor herself and pass on her skills learnt during the Farming Skills programme. “I would love to become a tutor and teach all the younger kids about farming and about how to be great little farmers like me tutors taught me.”
“I wouldn’t have done as well as I have without my tutors supporting me and pushing me to try my hardest."