Careers advisers should look again to find the value of show season

And yes, all of those things absolutely exist.

But for careers advisors or careers leaders, stopping there means missing something much bigger.

Because modern agricultural shows are no longer simply community events. They are live demonstrations of an industry that is evolving rapidly – technologically, environmentally and professionally – and they offer one of the most accessible ways to understand the breadth of careers available across farming and growing today.

It is interesting that many careers professionals are actively looking for stronger employer engagement opportunities, more meaningful labour market insight and ways to connect students with future-focused industries. Agricultural show season quietly delivers all three.

This isn’t the industry many people still imagine it to be.

And honestly, there may be no better place to see that for yourself than at a county show.

While some in the industry may affectionately call it ‘silly season’, show season runs from April through to October, with everything from major events like the Royal Norfolk Show and Great Yorkshire Show to smaller local county shows taking place across the country.

But what makes these events particularly valuable for careers professionals is not simply their scale. It’s the concentration of opportunity they bring together in one place.

A chance to see an entire industry in motion

One of the challenges careers advisors often face with agriculture and horticulture is visibility.

Students may not encounter the sector regularly in urban environments. Careers teams may not have established employer links in the sector. And outdated assumptions about the industry can make it feel difficult to recommend confidently.

Show season really can change that dynamic immediately.

What this looks like in practice is an environment where employers, education providers, professional bodies, innovators, growers, engineers, animal specialists and sustainability experts are all operating side by side.

By visiting a county show, you are not reading about the industry in theory. You are seeing it happen.

You’ve often also got the biggest and best employers in the region at these shows, ready to talk to you about anything. You can talk to them about what roles they’ve got, how often they take people on, what sort of training and education you might want to be taking to do those roles.

For careers advisors, that matters.

Because meaningful careers guidance depends on credible, current understanding of workplaces, pathways and progression routes. Agricultural shows create direct access to exactly that.

And importantly, they do so in a way that feels approachable.

You can speak to apprentices, graduates, technical specialists and senior leaders in the same afternoon. You can ask questions about salaries, qualifications, recruitment challenges and future skills needs. You can understand how automation, environmental management, food production and technology are shaping modern roles.

That level of exposure is difficult to replicate in a classroom.

The industry is more advanced than many realise

One of the most persistent misconceptions around agriculture and horticulture is that they are somehow disconnected from innovation.

The reality is almost the opposite.

Modern farming and growing increasingly relies on data analysis, robotics, environmental science, genetics, engineering and business management. Agricultural shows provide a tangible way to witness that shift.

At larger events, careers-focused panels now sit alongside machinery demonstrations and livestock competitions. Topics range from sustainability and welfare to technology and future workforce needs.

What agricultural shows do exceptionally well is make careers tangible, not abstract or theoretical. They are a chance to meet real people, find out about their real workplaces and discover real progression routes.

Ruthie Peterson

Engagement manager - TIAH

That combination is important because it helps careers professionals connect the dots between student interests and real-world application.

A student interested in environmental science may not immediately see themselves in agriculture. Until they discover careers in regenerative farming, soil health or sustainable food systems.

A student passionate about engineering may never have considered precision agriculture. Until they stand beside advanced machinery worth hundreds of thousands of pounds and hear directly from the people operating it.

What agricultural shows do exceptionally well is make careers tangible, not abstract or theoretical. They are a chance to meet real people, find out about their real workplaces and discover real progression routes.

The human side of the industry matters too

One of the things I love most about these shows is the opportunity they offer to see the skill, care and professionalism in the industry.

The level of care and work that’s gone into the production of these animals is amazing. Whether it’s the poring over genetics at night that farmers have done to breed these animals, or the washing and primping on display, that is on the level of anything you’ve ever seen in a hairdressing salon.

This level of care and skill really shows the professionalism the industry holds.

The sector requires technical understanding, strategic decision-making, communication skills, animal welfare knowledge, commercial awareness and adaptability - often simultaneously.

And increasingly, these are exactly the transferable skills employers across industries value.

There is also something uniquely powerful about seeing how seriously welfare and sustainability are treated in practice.

It was only last year that organisers at the Great Yorkshire Show took the decision to send livestock home straight after judging to protect animal welfare, as the event happened to coincide with an extremely hot period.

That decision says a great deal about modern industry standards and priorities.

Again, it challenges assumptions many people still hold.

Why this matters for careers leaders

Careers professionals are under increasing pressure to provide students with broad, credible and future-focused opportunities.

That includes aligning activity with the Gatsby Benchmarks, particularly around encounters with employers and experiences of workplaces.

Agricultural show season offers a really effective way to support exactly that.

In one visit, advisors can:

• Build direct employer connections
• Gather live labour market insight
• Discover regional opportunities
• Explore apprenticeship and training pathways
• Understand emerging skills needs
• Identify student engagement opportunities
• Experience workplaces and industry culture first-hand
• And, importantly, many shows actively encourage educational engagement.

Some offer subsidised or free tickets for schools and teachers, while others now run structured careers experiences specifically designed for careers stakeholders.

That makes these events not only insightful, but highly practical from a CPD perspective too.

Especially in rural counties, where agriculture and horticulture remain major employers.

It starts with curiosity

Perhaps the most valuable thing about show season is that it lowers the barrier to engagement.

You do not need an agricultural background. You do not need specialist knowledge before attending. You simply need curiosity.

You might arrive for the livestock or the food halls, horticulture tents or the machinery displays.

But alongside those experiences is an opportunity to better understand an industry that is modernising rapidly and actively looking for its future workforce.

And that matters, because students cannot aspire to careers they never meaningfully encounter.

Agricultural shows create those encounters naturally.

Not through brochures or assumptions, but through conversations, experiences and visible examples of what modern farming and growing really look like.

For careers advisors and leaders looking to expand horizons – both their own and their students’ – show season may be one of the most valuable opportunities sitting right on their doorstep.

So get stuck in, meet people and challenge yourself to find out more. Farming and growing is an amazing industry, full of opportunities to develop skilled careers.

You can find out more about agricultural shows across the country, including those happening near you, by visiting https://countryshows.com/calendar

And you can find loads of information on the exciting careers opportunities available in agriculture and horticulture, including ways to build farming and growing into STEM lessons or give students more meaningful learning opportunities by visiting the TIAH Careers Advice Hub.