Student work place experience

The MPO annually selects and places students at MPO commercial farms to gain on-farm experiential training for a period of one year.  The aim of the experiencial learning is to complement academic training to ensure  more effective workers once the graduates enter the workforce.   These students are usually in their final year of Animal Production studies and need proof of experiential learning before they can obtain their official qualification.

To make this endevour possible, the MPO applies for funds from the AgriSeta, which are managed by the MPO and paid to the student monthly.  The MPO farmers who wish to participate have to:

• Ensure that students get exposure to all the disciplines of dairy farming.

• Submit bi-annual progress reports to the MPO, which will also be submitted to AgriSeta as sponsor.

• Provide accommodation for the student.

• Take cognisance that bursaries from AgiSeta are limited. Should bursaries not be granted it would be expected from the farmer to pay a monthly stipend to the student.

Students will be selected in September / October 2016 and be ready for placement from mid-January 2017. Dairy farmers who are interested to provide a workplace experience opportunity to a dairy student are welcome to phone Helene Pheiffer at the MPO Institute for Dairy Technology at 079 528 1394/ 012 843 5749 or send an e-mail to helene@mpo.co.za.

Please note that internships form part of the Skills Development element of B-BBEE scoring.