A state FFA officer says National FFA Week showcases the opportunities available for young people.
Wisconsin’s Parliamentarian Max Luedtke tells Brownfield FFA prepares students with leadership skills. “Such as job interviews, delivering speeches, how to network, but then also exposes them to a wide variety of careers.”
Luedtke says because of the exposure FFA students have to various ag-related careers, many of his fellow Beaver Dam, Wisconsin students already know what they want to do after graduation. “I can name several of my classmates who knew exactly from their junior year what they want to do. They want to be a vet. They want to be an agriculture teacher. They want to be a welder or an electrician, whereas you ask some students in other classes, they’re going to school but they don’t necessarily know what they want to go for.”
Luedtke says FFA conferences and conventions also bring students and potential employers together. “We’re going to have a career expo where there’s going to be a lot of different agricultural companies there talking to different students, whereas also at the National FFA Convention for those students who head down there, that is a job and career show like none other.”
Luedtke says the communications and business soft skills learned while in FFA give students the confidence to pursue their goals.
National FFA Week runs through this Saturday, February 28th. Luedtke says many Wisconsin FFA members began the week with the Alumni Convention this past weekend, and then talking to legislators at the Capitol. Luedtke also plans to work with middle school and freshman students to help them learn how to get the most out of FFA membership.
