Sask Pork highlights career possibilities in hog industry for high school students
By Lynn Redl-Huntington
Sask Pork is highlighting career possibilities in the hog industry thanks to a new Canadian partnership. Several Saskatchewan agricultural organizations, including Sask Pork, Sask Canola, and Agriculture in the Classroom, are bringing regional agriculture programming to ChatterHigh, a gamified content engagement platform used by students across Canada and the U.S. The newly launched Saskatchewan Agriculture Industry Collaboration Course will give Saskatchewan high school students the opportunity to learn more about careers and post-secondary options in the hog industry.
The course is a collection of online modules that expose students to a variety of career and post-secondary options. The program helps students engage in inquiry-based learning and develop vocational identity. Students can discover a range of opportunities, access economic information, play games, and imagine their future in an area that interests them. Students will learn about the scale and scope of pork production in Saskatchewan and how many people are employed in the industry, as well be able to focus on traditional jobs in the field as well as those that are more unique.
“ChatterHigh is delighted to partner with Sask Pork in order to help inform students about the "Possibilities in Pork". Thanks to partnerships with organizations like Sask Pork, we have been able to expand our content offering for our continually growing user base in Saskatchewan. The Sask Pork questions are an excellent addition to the platform that go a long way in ensuring students have equity of access to information about careers in Saskatchewan's agricultural sector, which they may otherwise never have discovered,” said Mike Sproule, Partner Ambassador at ChatterHigh.
In Saskatchewan, 67 schools across 14 school divisions are using ChatterHigh. A 2019 study by the Canadian Career Development Foundation found that 90% of teachers said that ChatterHigh increases knowledge and awareness of options. Additionally, 75% of students said the digital platform made them feel more hopeful, motivated, and engaged in regards to their future.
“We are so pleased to have an opportunity to show highlight and showcase Saskatchewan’s pork industry to high school students in this engaging and interactive way,” said Jessica Podhordeski with Sask Pork. “We hope that upon completion of the Saskatchewan Agriculture Industry Collaboration Course that students come away with excitement at the prospect of joining one of the province’s largest agricultural sectors.”
ChatterHigh’s online activity includes a daily 10-minute quiz, used in Grade 6 through Grade 12 classrooms. Students receive quiz questions along with a link to the college or career webpages where the answers can be found. ChatterHigh was founded in 2012 with the goal of making it fun for students to explore life after high school. The organization was named EdTech of the Year in Canada in 2017.
To learn more, please visit chatterhigh.com.