Students called on to join this year's ABP Angus youth challenge

Teenagers interested in agriculture are being called on to take part in this year's ABP Angus youth challenge. The youth competition, which focuses on attracting young people to the beef sector, will offer Northern Irish students in year 11 the opportunity to develop practical skills as well as hands on experience. Entries to the competition will open on October 3, and are open to teams of two to four individuals, aged 14-15, representing a school or society. The competition is delivered in partnership with Certified Irish Angus. Benefits Finalists of the competition will be given the chance to rear their own herd of Angus-cross calves. They will be guided by a mentor from the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), and host farms can be provided. Students in the final stage will also take part in an exclusive farm-to-fork trip with ABP and Certified Irish Angus, allowing them to understand different aspects of the industry and its effect on consumers. According to organisers ABP, the challenge helps GCSE students by providing them with practical hands-on learning, and goes hand-in-hand with a broad range of GCSE subjects, such as Agriculture, Biology, and Geography. The competition will offer students a chance to further their learning and gain experience on beef farming techniques, ABP said. According to APB managing director in Northern Ireland, George Mullan, the competition ensures students gain value from the activities, visits and experiences. He said: 'We know from participating schools that the programme complements classroom learning across a wide range of GCSE subjects, while giving young people the opportunity to see how what they learn in school applies to the real world.' Charles Smith of Certified Irish Angus added: 'The competition is aimed at opening young minds to the opportunities in the agri-food industry, Northern Ireland's largest private sector employer, as well as the skill and care it takes to produce beef.' Awards Teams are requested to create a short video outlining their proposed project, and submit it via the ABP Angus Youth Challenge website. From this, a number of candidates will be selected to showcase their ideas at Balmoral Park on October 22, where a panel will determine who progresses to the final stage. The overall winning team will receive a £1,000 prize which will go toward their school or club.