How studying STEM could put you in touch with the land through an agricultural career.

By Tania Bal

STEM subjects – that’s science, technology, engineering and maths are useful for many jobs, but have you considered a land-based career?

The variety of careers in the land-based sector include working in arboriculture, horticulture, agricultural engineering and plant breeding – all of which make use of STEM skills.

Make use of physics, maths, engineering and computing as a land-based engineer. An agricultural engineering career is primarily concerned with designing and maintaining farm machinery and equipment; as such it requires maths, physics and computing skills.

As an agricultural engineer you could design farming machinery using CAD (computer-aided design) technology, work on GPS systems, plan the construction of rural electric-power distribution systems or keep farm machinery going.

If you enjoy computing, maths, engineering and physics this could be the perfect way to put your skills into practice.

This sector employs 3.5 million people across the UK and did you know that currently, 25 per cent of the agricultural industry consists of professionals who are aged at least 55 or older? This means that there will be increased opportunities for younger workers in upcoming years.

Have you always enjoyed the outdoors and plant life? If so, why not make use of your study of chemistry, biology and maths as a plant breeder.

The aim of plant breeders is to develop desirable traits within plants, which can include drought tolerance or disease resistance. This particular career can be demanding at times, as the yield of certain crops has to be increased to meet the needs of both the market and consumers.

A degree in plant science would be particularly useful in this land-based career, as plants will need to be crossed in order to produce new breeding material. Also, specific plants will have to be chosen based on natural genetic variation. Taking biology as an A-level will definitely help to get onto this degree, which will last approximately three years. This job also requires analytical skills, as plant breeders are expected to scientifically assess how plants breed in both laboratory and field trials.

Another land-based sector that you might be interested in, if you like the idea of plant breeding, is arboriculture – the study of trees. Studying biology at A-levels and as a degree would improve your chances of becoming an arboriculturist.

So, whether you enjoy physics, chemistry, biology, maths or computing – there’s a career in land-based for you.

Find out more at www.lantra.co.uk/careers