Jace Melugin wants to be a diesel mechanic, or maybe an instrumentation engineer.
As a high school junior and Pryor FFA member from Pryor, Okla., Melugin works with his grandfather in a mechanic shop as part of his supervised agricultural experience (SAE). He helps fix and replace parts on semitrailer trucks, pickups and tractors, which gets them ready to return to the roads and fields where they — and their drivers — play important roles in agriculture.
Melugin was one of 54 FFA members from 22 states selected to explore emerging technologies, trends and products in careers related to the power, structural and technical systems pathway at the Next Gen Conference held June 27 through July 1 in Raleigh, N.C.
Until he attended the conference, Melugin says he didn’t know how many career opportunities existed in the power, structural and technical systems pathway. The sheer number surprised him, he says, and the tours, roundtable discussions and other opportunities to network with industry leaders and his peers inspired him.
“I can already tell where [the conference] has made an impact and shown me what I might want to do when I get to be a bit older,” Melugin says. “Before that, I didn’t have much of an idea.”
Career-Focused Opportunities
The Next Gen Conference was born out of a delegate proposal presented at a past National FFA Convention & Expo. Members saw many great opportunities for leadership development through National FFA events, but they wanted more options focused on career development.
The conference series launched just before the COVID-19 shutdowns, and it returned in 2022. Each conference focuses on a different career pathway and is hosted in a city where that industry is prevalent. So far, students have explored plant systems in St. Louis, Mo.; animal systems in Denver, Colo.; and, most recently, power, structural and technical systems in Raleigh, N.C.
This year’s Next Gen Conference: Power, Structural and Technical Pathway was sponsored by John Deere, CNH Industrial, Case IH and New Holland. A highlight of the experience, Melugin says, was seeing John Deere representatives build lawn mowers and other turf equipment at one of its facilities in Raleigh.
“John Deere is proud to work alongside National FFA to help provide experiences like the Next Gen Conference,” says Aaron Wetzel, vice president of production systems at John Deere. “We look forward to seeing these students succeed and maybe work for John Deere one day.”
Road Map to the Future
Through facilitated instruction, participants at this summer’s conference explored career options, as well as the roles their generation will play in the workforce and skills they need to be successful.
“We talk about employability skills, and students ultimately walk away with what we call the ‘road map for their future,’” says Ashli Weinrich, program specialist on the advocacy, literacy and ag-based experiences team at National FFA.
The goal of the road map, Weinrich says, is to outline participants’ next steps, which is based on a better understanding of their individual skills and the skills, education and experiences that their respective industry looks for in prospective employees. Melugin says his next step is taking classes at Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology.
“This is such a different type of conference for National FFA,” Weinrich says. “It’s really exciting to see the progression of it and the breadth of students participating. This conference is for you if you’re really interested in the content and want to learn more about where you fit into the industry.”
Applications Now Open
Next Gen Conferences are open to high school sophomores, juniors and seniors, and enrollment is currently open. When filling out an application, Weinrich encourages FFA members to demonstrate their passion and enthusiasm for the featured industry.
2024 Next Gen Conferences include:
- Agricultural Communications, held March 5-8, in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. Application period closes Oct. 15, 2023.
- Food Products and Processing Systems, held June 25-29, in Minneapolis, Minn. Application period closes March 15, 2024.
- Environmental Services and Natural Resources Systems, held Sept. 10-14, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Application period closes May 15, 2024.
Begin your application today by visiting ffa.org/participate/next-generation-conference.
