AgCareers.com Promotes Agriculture Careers through JAG
August 19, 2008
Cynthia Hoffman
AgCareers.com is teaming up with Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) to promote career opportunities within the agriculture industry.
AgCareers.com, the leading online job board and human resource service provider for the agriculture industry, will donate up to $10,000 to the JAG program.
“At AgCareers.com, we pride ourselves on bringing solutions to recruitment and retention challenges that agriculture employers are faced with,” said Eric Spell, president of AgCareers.com. “Our clients make an investment when they enlist our services, and contributing to JAG is a unique way we can demonstrate making sure an investment yields returns.”
Spell said the company wanted to make a contribution after learning that each year JAG helps approximately 40,000 high school students in 28 states increase their academic achievement and prepare for college or careers.
The JAG program is implemented in 700 high schools, alternative schools, community colleges, and middle schools across the United States and the United Kingdom. The non-profit organization depends on local and state funding, grants, and donations from corporations and foundations.
“Through employer sponsorship, such as the donation provided by AgCareers.com, we are able to expand the outreach of our program and educate our students and graduates on the many rewarding career opportunities that the agriculture industry holds,” said Barbara Wolf, senior vice president of JAG. “The partnership between AgCareers.com and JAG will result in a great pipeline of talent that is work-ready and able to fill current gaps, while providing worthwhile career options for JAG’s young people.”
According to
www.jag.org , only 68 percent of U.S. high school students graduate, but 92 percent of students participating in JAG earn their high school diploma or GED.
These statistics show the importance of connecting students with job opportunities early on, said Ashley Warlick, education coordinator at AgCareers.com. Warlick said AgCareers.com wants to encourage students to complete their education and inform them about the various agriculture career possibilities that they may not be aware of.
“We are finding that more and more students are making solid career decisions earlier in their scholastic career,” Warlick said. “At AgCareers.com we want to be sure that those students know about the wide array of career opportunities available in the agribusiness industry so they can make well-informed decisions regarding their career path.”
Spell said he is looking forward to working with the JAG program to offer new and exciting career options that JAG students may not have known about. He said both the students and the agriculture industry will benefit from the partnership.
“From what I know about the students who have completed the JAG curriculum, they are not only ready to work, but they are also very loyal,” Spell said. “I for
