FOUR WA university graduates were part of a record National Australia Bank (NAB) intake of 25 agribusiness graduates this month.
They were Alyce Lang, Wickepin, Ashley Tharratt, Denmark, Alex White, Perth, amd Alex Reid, Boyup Brook.
Ms Lang, 22, grew up on a farm at Wickepin and spent late spring driving a tractor and chaser bin during harvest after completing her agribusiness degree at Curtin University.
She is nominated for the WA Young Achiever of the Year award.
The young achiever winner, and winners in seven other categories of awards promoted by WAFarmers and Rural Bank, will be announced in May.
Ms Lang's involvement in agribusiness also included working as an administration assistant with Grower Alliance Group and as harvest grain sampler and weighbridge attendant at the Wickepin CBH bin for four years.
She and Mr Tharratt, Mr White and Mr Reid joined other graduates - the most diverse intake in the 15 years of the NAB Agribusiness program - in Albury last week for a welcome hosted by NAB Agribusiness general manager Khan Horne.
"To have the opportunity to go through this learning experience together is a huge benefit and it shows that NAB are investing in young people who want to forge a career in agribusiness," Ms Lang said.
"We all have a passion for farming; it's where I grew up and this program is enabling students like me to follow this pathway long-term."
NAB Agribusiness has recruited graduates since 2001.
The application criteria requires a degree in agriculture, business or finance and a passion for agriculture.
Mr Horne said the annual intake reaffirmed NAB's commitment to supporting growth in agribusiness.
"As Australia's biggest agribusiness bank, we partner with our farmers to support their business goals, and we do this by investing in our people," he said.
"We see the value in long-term relationships and investing in skills and talented young people, who often work with clients over many years.
"Eleven of our 25 regional agribusiness managers across Australia have come via the graduate program."
This year, 60 per cent of the graduate intake were young women, compared with an average of 47pc.
