This summer the University of Maryland (UMD) AGNR strategic initiative team, Advance Innovative, Profitable, and Sustainable Agricultural Production Systems, launched the Agricultural Careers and Entrepreneurship (ACE) Virtual Center.
The ACE Virtual Center has been created to provide helpful resources, training, and opportunities for those interested in pursuing an agricultural career to further advance agricultural systems across Maryland. The ACE center’s mission is to, “produce an inventory of agricultural career opportunities, provide job search resources, host virtual training opportunities, and highlight career and entrepreneurship events to those that aspire to farm or be in the agriculture profession.”
To kickoff its launch, the ACE center recently held a virtual webinar series throughout July and August. This series featured three online workshops for Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) students, K-12 students, and MD residents looking to enter the agriculture profession. Led by AGNR and Extension professionals, these sessions covered topics such as resume development, career exploration and starting a farm in Maryland. Links to the recordings and slides used during these workshops can be found on the ACE center homepage.
The ACE Center will continue to provide resources for K – 12 students, prospective UMD students, current Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) students, and aspiring farmers in Maryland.
- K – 12 students can use the ACE center to learn more about the importance of agriculture in Maryland, experiential learning opportunities, and information on the 4-H programs throughout the state of Maryland.
- Prospective UMD students can discover how a degree from AGNR can open doors for them in their future career and entrepreneurship endeavors. Students can learn more about the potential career pathways within AGNR, student spotlights and AGNR traditions.
- Current AGNR students can navigate through beneficial job search tools, networking information, alum interviews and more. In addition, current students can learn more about existing UMD career resources and the ways to best utilize them.
- Maryland Aspiring Farmers can utilize the ACE center to learn about industry statistics, MD farmer training, commodity associations, events and more. The ACE center provides links to important agricultural support organizations and University of Maryland Extension resources.
For more information on this new virtual resource and its webinar series recordings, go to: https://go.umd.edu/ACECenter