1,400 Arizona Students Demonstrate Career Skills
in Competitive Setting!

Submitted by Dennis Fiscus.

Over 1,400 FFA members gathered on the University of Arizona Campus on Friday, March 2, 2011 for the Arizona FFA annual Spring Conference to participate in developing their future through participating in Career Development Events (CDEs). Throughout the high school careers of many students will ask their teachers, “When will I ever use this in the real world?” Students enrolled in Agricultural Education have discovered that CDEs are the answer. Since 1928, FFA has worked to create CDEs that demonstrate the meaningful connections between classroom instruction and real-life scenarios CDEs build on what is learned in agricultural classes and the FFA.

CDEs are an outgrowth of the curriculum taught in each Agricultural Education program and are designed to develop individual responsibilities, foster teamwork and promote communications while recognizing the value of ethical competition and individual achievement. Most events include appropriate team activities where two or more members from one chapter work cooperatively.

By delivering an integrated model of education through classroom learning, real-world work experience and activities designed to promote personal growth, FFA and agricultural education help students discover and plan their own unique route to future success.

The events are designed to help prepare students for careers in agriculture. Classroom instruction comes alive as students demonstrate their skills in a competitive setting. CDEs test the abilities of individuals and teams in major areas of agricultural instruction.

Career Development Events give young people the knowledge needed for more than 300 diverse careers in the food, fiber and natural resources industries. Real-world skills members learn through FFA prepare them for a range of futures in such fields as marketing, law, science, international business, veterinary medicine and golf course management.