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FFA exists to make a difference in the lives of students. The national organization, its state associations and local chapters have done an amazing job fulfilling the first two tenets of FFA's mission to develop premier leadership and personal growth in students. However, the third precept, career success, receives less impact since engagement with our youth often ends at graduation. This is why the National FFA Organization has designed the Agricultural Career Network (AgCN). It is FFA's major tool to engage students and members across all life stages, from the first time they enter an agricultural education classroom and throughout their careers. Ongoing efforts to build and deliver AgCN is a commitment to strengthening student achievement, leveraging FFA's educational programming and enhancing the value of FFA experiences for students. AgCN was built for current secondary students and collegians, as well as alumni and supporters already engaged in their careers.
Secondary Agricultural Education Students
AgCN was built for students. Once they receive an initial invitation to AgCN from their FFA advisors, the system is available to them in the classroom, on their smartphones and tablets, and for as long as they wish to engage with FFA. They can log in to create their profiles (addresses must be current to receive their copy of the FFA New Horizons magazine), track their accomplishments in school, FFA and other activities, apply for scholarships and SAE grants, build resumes, locate internships and eventually apply for jobs.
AgCN is built around the idea of portfolios. Students enter information about their activities and accomplishments related to classroom instruction (certifications, proficiencies obtained, STEM results, LifeKnowlege assessments, and CASE records), leadership development (all FFA and non-FFA activities, degrees earned, awards and recognitions received and events attended), and experiential learning (SAE accomplishments, internships, job shadowing experiences,...