Individual Career Programs
The following Career Program Areas are found at the local, state and national levels. These Career Program Areas allows a member to enhance and improve their competency levels (including but not inclusive) in the areas of self-confidence, leadership, oral and written communications, organization, information gathering, goal setting, presentation, and time management.
Contests: A PAS member can compete in:
- ONE College Bowl team
- ONE other team event (Livestock, Soils, Crops, etc.)
- ONE Career Planning (1st year students) or Career Progress (2nd year students) area
- ONE other individual event (Ag Sales, Employment Interview, Speaking, etc.)
The objective of the Agricultural Education Career Program Area is to evaluate and develop the skills necessary for students to be successful as an agricultural educator. Proficiencies will be tested in the following areas:
1. Encourage and inspire PAS members who have an interest in becoming an agricultural educator.
2. Enhance communication and leadership skills through an active classroom simulation.
3. Develop innovative and engaging lesson plans for today’s learners.
The objective of the Agricultural Promotion & Marketing Career Program Area is to advocate and promote agriculture to an audience that does not have any agricultural knowledge. Proficiencies will be tested in the following areas:
1. Develop professional skills and practical knowledge using real-life business cases.
2. Enhance their creativity, social consciousness, and the capacity to work effectively and efficiently in a multicultural environment.
3. Foster a global perspective on agricultural industry which faces a fast-changing atmosphere on a regional, politically, socially and economically scale.
The objective of the Agricultural Sales Career Program Area is to evaluate and develop the skills necessary for students to be successful in sales. Proficiencies will be tested in the following areas:
1. Sales presentation and ability to display the following skills: Verbal Communication, Written Communication, Physical Communication, Proper appearance, Body language, Interactive Communication.
2. Ability to listen and question in order to gather information
a. Product knowledge, features and benefits of a product
b. Identifying potential customer objections
c. Knowledge of the proper use of a product
3. Sales process identifying target demographic through marketing and historical data (i.e. cold calling, advertising, internet applications).
4. Develop sales presentation that determines and addresses the customer needs and objectives.
5. Attempt to close the sale and accurately take the order.
The objective of this award program is to evaluate the proficiency level of students interested in becoming an animal care worker or credentialed veterinary technician (CVT, RVT, LVT). Proficiencies will be tested in the following areas:
• Pharmacy & Pharmacology
• Surgical Nursing
• Dentistry
• Laboratory Procedures
• Animal Care and Nursing
• Diagnostic Imaging
• Anesthesia
• Emergency Medical/Critical Care
• Pain Management/Analgesia
The objective of the Career Planning Career Program Area is to assist first-year participants study agricultural occupations and careers. Through this, participants will:
1. Interview at least four individuals that are active in that occupation.
2. Gain an understanding of the tasks performed by employees or business owners.
3. Discover what knowledge is needed to perform these tasks.
4. Increase their knowledge, technical skills and leadership/human relation skills required for advancement in the occupation.
5. Develop their own career and personal goals to become successful in that occupation.
The objective of the Career Progress Career Program Area is to build upon the participants original study of agricultural occupations and careers that they learned in their first year of study. Career Progress takes the next logical step in this process further by examining the progress the participant has made compared to their original plan.
The objective of the Employment Interview Career Program Area is to further develop a student’s employment knowledge and skills. Through this, participants will:
1. Develop, practice, and demonstrate skills needed for seeking employment in the industry of agriculture and natural resources.
2. Simulate, as closely as possible, real-world activities that are used by real-world employers.
The objective of the Precision Agriculture Career Program Area is to evaluate and develop the skills necessary for students to be successful as a precision agriculture specialist. Proficiencies will be tested in the following areas:
1. Encourage and inspire PAS members who have an interest in becoming a precision agricultural technician.
2. Enhance communication and leadership skills through an active real-life simulation with modern precision agriculture technologies.
3. Develop innovative and engaging data maps with data collected through precision agriculture technologies.
The objective of the Speakers for Agriculture - Impromptu Career Program Area is to develop the ability of all PAS members to express themselves on a given subject without having prepared or rehearsed its content in advance:
1. Encourage and inspire PAS members to engage the community in a topic of interest to them.
2. Enhance communication and leadership skills through a short, impromptu speech on an agricultural topic.
The objective of the Speakers for Agriculture - Prepared Career Program Area is to evaluate and develop the skills necessary for students to be successful as a public speaker. Proficiencies will be tested in the following areas:
1. Encourage and inspire PAS members to engage the community in a topic of interest to them.
2. Enhance communication and leadership skills through a short, prepared speech on an agricultural topic.
*Iowa CPA events will follow by the same rules set forth by the National PAS Organization.