A vast field for UG courses

Gulneet Chahal

At the time when thousands of students choose to give a miss to the conventional engineering and medical degrees, agriculture, with its focus on climate change and nutritional security, is emerging as a sought-after career option. 

The challenge to feed the burgeoning numbers will remain, so will sustaining the environment for future generations. Career openings in this sector are on the ascent, but with a large number of students uninformed about the opportunities in agriculture, there is a shortage of talent in this field. It is time to relook at the career . 

Why Punjab Agricultural University (PAU)?

The institute with its unparalleled infrastructure, equipped experiential learning units, experienced faculty, latest research and extension facilities and a strong global network of highly placed alumni is ranked as one of the best agricultural universities of the country. 

The College of Agriculture at PAU enjoys the reputation of imparting quality education and a network of 14 departments and schools. 

For students aiming to become an entrepreneur  after Class XII, the College of Agriculture offers two-year Diploma in Agriculture at PAU, Ludhiana and Regional Research Station at Ballowal Saunkhri. Another one-year Diploma in Hybrid Seed Production Technology is offered at the Ludhiana campus.  

Experiential learning

There are many scholarships and fellowships that are awarded to meritorious students. Students at PAU get opportunities to study from some of the world’s best researchers and faculty in the field of agriculture. 

Guest lectures and interactive seminars help students develop time management, communication and IT skills, which are fundamental at any workplace. Students get to do rural internship in villages and industries in their final year of degree programme. Under the Rural Agriculture Work Experience (RAWE) and Experiential Learning Programme (ELP), students get a chance to give practical shape to their learning. 

A bright future

Jobs for agricultural graduates are on the rise in government and private sectors. From employment in state departments of agriculture, horticulture, soil and water conservation, there are opportunities in banking sector, seed-production and agrochemical industries, agri-products marketing firms, etc. 

With agricultural mechanisation picking up, scope of employment in industries that manufacture agricultural implements has increased. Many graduates, after trainings at PAU, have become  entrepreneurs. Students with an inclination towards research have plenty of opportunities to join state and central agricultural universities and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) as researchers or faculty. For more information, visit www.pau.edu.

The writer is Assistant Director, CCIL, PAU.