Today through July 1, the National FFA Organization is putting on its Next Gen Conference, which is an opportunity for students to explore a variety of career paths before they graduate high school.
The Next Gen Conference: Power, Structural, and Technical Pathway being held in Raleigh, North Carolina, engages high school students from across the country in hands-on sessions, panels, and tours to explore emerging technologies, trends, regulatory issues, and products in careers related to fabrication.
“The Next Gen Conferences were developed to give our members an opportunity to explore careers in agriculture and future careers,” said Ashli Weinrich, program specialist on the advocacy, literacy and ag based experiences team. “This summer conference will help us cultivate future leaders in the power, structure and technical pathway through a week of experiential learning, relevant education and networking.”
Throughout the week, students will develop a “Future Ready Plan” that will serve as a blueprint to guide them in taking their next steps after high school.
While Corn Belt states like Indiana and Nebraska are heavily represented among the 60 students invited to participate in the Raleigh Next Gen Conference, students also hail from Alaska and West Virginia and span the coast from California to New York.
Examples of student stories from this event’s participants include:
- Andrew Garman of Kansas has always been interested in welding and fabrication — and has worked at a local welding and fabrication shop for his FFA supervised agricultural experience (SAE).
- Rem McBride of Washington has worked on demolition derby cars, welding and fabricating roll cages and bumpers as part of his SAE.
- Audrey Shutts of Nebraska has worked on small props and equipment for the local theater and other woodworking projects.
The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 850,000 student members as part of 8,995 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
