Jessie Armstrong is one of five people across Australia and New Zealand to be selected for the Groundbreaker program. Photo: Supplied.
The Hay Country University Centre, a remote learning facility that will enable locals to complete degrees without having to leave their homes or farms, is set to open its door to students in early 2026.
The centre is being managed by Jessie Armstrong, who recently became one of five people across Australia and New Zealand chosen to participate in an elite program run by Wagga-based research body Agrifutures Australia.
“The Groundbreaker program is an initiative that supports emerging leaders and innovators in agriculture, particularly 18- to 30-year-olds,” Ms Armstrong said.
“It provides us with mentoring and networking and the opportunity to speak at Evoke Ag, one of the largest agritech conferences in the Southern Hemisphere.”
The 24-year-old, who grew up on a sheep farm near Hay, runs her own business which is looking at ways to improve workforce retention in agriculture, focusing on how farming business can keep staff during droughts.
“I’m working on some mentoring programs for young people in agriculture, as well as opportunities to support farm managers to be better team leaders. I think that if we can empower capacity building in those areas it will help retain people in on-farm roles,” she said.
Ms Armstrong said a key to keeping young talent in farming communities was to provide them with opportunities to build their skills in their hometowns.
She said that was why the new Hay CUC, which she’d managed since October, would be so important. It will provide academic advisers, mentorship, computers, photocopiers and internet access to assist students to complete degrees and vocational qualifications from several affiliated institutes around Australia.
“I feel strongly that people should have access to resources to get the right education to upskill or reskill for whatever careers and pathways they want to take,” she said.
CUC facilities have already been set up in Griffith and Leeton, where more than 800 students have registered over the past five years – 44 per cent of whom became the first in their family to undertake a higher education qualification.
Giorgia Ceccato is doing her teaching degree at the Griffith CUC. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Ms Armstrong said her upbringing had equipped her with the skills to be a leader in agricultural innovation.
“I was born in the middle of the millennium drought, so growing up during that time and then seeing the shifting climate that we’re now experiencing has inspired my work in that drought innovation space,” she said.
“I’m studying a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and a Batchelor of Environmental Science because I see bridging that gap between natural resource management, the environment, and agricultural production as being critical in supporting our industry going forward.
“I’m really excited to be able to work with other young people and speak at Evoke Ag and see what collaboration looks like in this generation.”
Expressions of interest to study at the Hay CUC can be made through its website.
