Ames, Iowa
October 12, 2005
Iowa State University's
College of Agriculture is helping to supply the state's and
nation's demand for employees and keep graduates in Iowa
during its annual Ag Career Day on Oct. 25 at the Memorial
Union.
The Ag Career Day is on track to be the largest ever held at
Iowa State and will be attended by more businesses and
organizations than any other agriculture career fair in the
nation. "We take more pride in knowing that it's the best,"
said Mike Gaul, director of career placement for the College
of Agriculture.
"More than 1,000 students are
expected to attend the event that has an opportunity for
every major in the College of Agriculture -- from
traditional production ag to agribusiness, horticulture,
food, natural resources, communications and equipment," said
Gaul.
More than 140 companies have signed up to attend the event
with approximately 75 percent of those offering full or
part-time positions in the state of Iowa.
Gaul attributes the increase in business attendance to a
revived economy, an increase in qualified graduates and an
aging work force.
"Many companies are starting to realize that 30 to 50
percent of their workforce is going to be seeking retirement
in the next five years," said Gaul. "Companies are
recruiting now in order to build up their reputations with
students."
Nationally, the demand for employees is predicted to exceed
the supply of graduates in agricultural fields, according to
a U.S. Department of Agriculture-Cooperative State,
Research, Education and Extension Service's Employment
Opportunities outlook for 2005-2010. The research projects
52,000 agricultural job openings per year and only 49,300
qualified candidates to fill them each year.
Companies like Steuart & Armstrong Consulting Inc. have been
attending the ISU Ag Career Day for more than 20 years.
"These students have outstanding work ethic and understand
personal responsibilities," said Rich Armstrong, crop
consultant. "I know the work will get done and it will get
done well." His company is looking for three interns to work
in their crop consulting business.
Greg Deim, a 2003 College of Agriculture alumnus, is
returning to the Iowa State campus to recruit students for
full-time positions in the FieldInSite product development
and support team at The Mosaic Co. Mosaic is a combination
of two leaders in the fertilizer industry, IMC Global and
Cargill Crop Nutrition. "New products, technologies and
practices are being implemented now to help eliminate some
of the future problems that could arise with a huge
population growth," Deim said. "A career in agriculture is
one way for graduates to lend a helping hand to the world."
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