Agri Gap year offers fun and practical skills

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It is tough being a matriculant in these trying times. The future is coming at you fast and you need to be able to adapt and make decisions that impact your entire future.

This is especially true when making decisions about your studies. Why not take a breather and take a year to assess your options? The Peritum Agri Institute and the Reitz Landbou Akademie offer a gap year in agriculture, a first for South Africa. A year on the farm in the beautiful Eastern Free State offers you the opportunity to find yourself and lay strong foundations for the future in a fun and relaxed setting. It will, however, not be all play and no work … Students will gain a variety of practical and valuable skills that will benefit them in their future endeavours.

These include John Deere operator certification, wool shearing classification certificate, introduction to farm management, agricultural production, plant production, animal production, resource management, computer literacy, mathematical skills, and language skills. This is combined with elements such as personality development and professional development to present a well-rounded individual to the world after the Agri gap year with Peritum Agri Institute and Reitz Landbou Akademie. 

The program is an ideal opportunity for prospective students to take a step back and gain perspective after a challenging and demanding school career. It also offers prospective students the opportunity to undertake a journey of self-discovery and growth and to gain valuable experience in the agricultural sector. It also offers prospective students the adventure of a lifetime whilst equipping them for the future. It also includes a shearing course, yearly vaccination programs, production models, stud inspection, soil profile analysis, water analysis, auctions, and carcass analysis. Students will rotate every week and look after the seven different departments of the Reitz Landbou Akademie farming operation. A visit to Sernick, where students will see the total meat value chain, is also included in the program. The program will be based in Reitz, a warm rural community in the beautiful North-eastern Free State. Reitz has a rich farming heritage and a strong agricultural economy.

The Lentehof hostel at Reitz High School will provide lodging to the students during the year. Students will be in double rooms and three nutritious meals will be provided daily. The Agri-Gap year is made possible by the collaboration between Peritum Agri Institute and Reitz Landbou Akademie as well as Standard Bank, the Sernick Group,John Deere, Grain SA and VKB. Landbou gapjaar bied pret en praktiese opleiding Dit is taai om in vandag se tye ‘n matrikulant te wees.

Die toekoms gebeur vinnig en jy word gedwing om groot besluite oor jou toekoms te neem. Dit is veral die geval wanneer daar oor studies besluit word. Hoekom nie ‘n blaaskans neem en jou opsies tydens ‘n gapjaar op die plaas oorweeg nie? Die Peritum Agri Institute en Reitz Landbou Akademie bied, in ‘n eerste vir Suid-Afrika, ‘n gapjaar in landbou aan. ‘n Jaar op die plaas in die beeldskone Oos-Vrystaat bied aan matrieks die geleentheid om in ‘n rustige atmosfeer hulself te vind en sterk fondasies vir die toekoms te lê. Dis egter nie net vir speel en van werk vergeet nie!