Encouraging Rural Engagement of Young People: Understanding Career Choices of Students in the Agribusiness Sector
Keywords:
Agriculture, career decision making, rural engagement, students, youth
Abstract
Agriculture is one of the main economic sectors in Albania, contributing to about 20% of the GDP and about 45% of the employment opportunities. The high rate of youth migration represents a threat to the future and sustainability of the agriculture sector. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that influence the career choice of young people in terms of rural engagement and explore the challenges that hinder them from selecting agriculture as their career path. This paper focuses on the students of the Faculty of Economy and Agribusiness at the Agricultural University of Tirana (AUT), as agribusiness is a closely related field to agriculture. The results show that employment opportunities, personal interest in the field, and financial prospects are the main factors that motivate students to choose a study program in agribusiness. However, other factors such as a positive perception of agriculture, participation in internship programs and extracurricular activities, or career consulting from the university influence students to engage and retain in agriculture and related fields. This study provides valuable data to formulate and develop strategies for attracting students in the agriculture sector.
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References
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25. Oladeji, B. D., & Gureje, O. (2016). Brain drain: A challenge to global mental health. BJPsych International, 13(3), 61-63. https://doi.org/10.1192/S2056474000001240
26. Omotosho, A., Asani, E., Ayegba, P., & Ayoola, J. (2020). Impact of agricultural education on students’ career choice: A survey. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 15(3), 51–61. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i03.11260
27. Ray, A., Bala, P. K., Dasgupta, S. A., & Srivastava, A. (2020). Understanding the factors influencing career choices in India: From the students’ perspectives. International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 20(2), 175. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJICBM.2020.105641
28. Rigg, J., Phongsiri, M., Promphakping, B., Salamanca, A., & Sripun, M. (2020). Who will tend the farm? Interrogating the ageing Asian farmer. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 47(2), 306-325. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2019.1572605
29. Tataj, X., & Akbaş, E. (2021). Brain Drain Toward EU and Its Impact on Labor Market: Albanian Case. Anadolu ve Balkan Araştırmaları Dergisi, 4(8), 371-384. https://doi.org/10.32953/abad.916062
30. Tola, A., & Mustafaj, S. (2024). Career management and Organizational Performance: Insights from Managers in the Albanian Service Industry. European Academic Research, 11(12), 1517-1523.
31. UNICEF Albania (2021). Education budget brief. Retrieved from https://albania.un.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/Education%20Budget%20Brief.pdf
2. Amani, J. (2013). Social influence and occupational knowledge as predictors of career choice intentions among undergraduate students in Tanzania. Social Influence, 3(3), 185-193. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijld.v3i3.3990
3. Avdulaj, J., Muço, K., & Kristiqi, D. (2021). The role of migration in unemployment reduction in Albania. Review of Management & Economic Engineering, 20(1), 2-8.
4. Baliyan, S. P., & Nenty, H. J. (2015). Demographic factors influencing senior secondary school students’ attitude towards agriculture in Botswana. International Journal of Education and Research, 3(10), 457-470.
5. Bayaga, A. (2010). Multinomial Logistic Regression: Usage and Application in Risk Analysis. Journal of applied quantitative methods, 5(2). 288-297.
6. Food and Agriculture Organization. (2014). Youth and agriculture: key challenges and concrete solutions. Retrieved from https://www.fao.org/3/i3947e/i3947e.pdf
7. Geza, W., Ngidi, M., Ojo, T., Adetoro, A. A., Slotow, R., & Mabhaudhi, T. (2021). Youth participation in agriculture: A scoping review. Sustainability, 13(16), 9120. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169120
8. Girdziute, L., Besuspariene, E., Nausediene, A., Novikova, A., Leppala, J., & Jakob, M. (2022). Youth's (Un) willingness to work in agriculture sector. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.937657
9. Hitka, M., & Ližbetinová, L. (2023). Human potential of talents in agriculture and forestry in context of Agriculture 4.0. Agricultural Economics/Zemědělská Ekonomika, 69(6). https://doi.org/10.17221/153/2023-AGRICECON
10. ILOSTAT. (2022). Data on employment in agriculture. Retrieved from https://www.ceicdata.com/en/albania/employment-and-unemployment/al-employment-in-agriculture-modeled-ilo-estimate--of-total-employment
11. INSTAT ALBANIA. (2023). Statistical year book 2012-2022. Retrieved from https://www.instat.gov.al/
12. Johnson, K. M., & Lichter, D. T. (2019). Rural depopulation: Growth and decline processes over the past century. Rural Sociology, 84(1), 3-27. https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12266
13. Johr, H. (2012). Where are the future farmers to grow our food? International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 15, 9-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.129168
14. Jurić, T. (2021). Medical brain - drain from southeastern Europe: using digital demography to forecast health worker emigration. JMIRx Med, 2(4), e30831. https://doi.org/10.2196/30831
15. Kazi, A. S., & Akhlaq, A. (2017). Factors Affecting Students’ Career Choice. Journal of Research and Reflections in Education, 2, 187–196.
16. King, R., & Gëdeshi, I. (2020). New trends in potential migration from Albania: The migration transition postponed? Migration and Development, 9(2), 131-151. https://doi.org/10.1080/21632324.2019.1608099
17. King, R., & Gëdeshi, I. (2023). Albanian Students Abroad: A Potential Brain Drain? Central and Eastern European Migration Review, 12(2), 73-97. https://doi.org/10.54667/ceemr.2023.20
18. Kőmíves, P. M., Pilishegyi, P., Novák, N., Nagy, A. S., & Körösparti, P. (2019). The role of higher education in the development of agriculture. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 9(9), 607–612. http://dx.doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2019.9.9.1275
19. Meçe, M., & Ribaj, A. (2021). The Rural Development and Employment in Albania. European Journal of Economics and Business Studies. 5(1), 67-79. https://doi.org/10.26417/ejes.v5i1.p67-79
20. Mehmetaj, N., & Xhindi, N. (2022). Public Expenses in Education and Youth Unemployment Rates—A Vector Error Correction Model Approach. Economies, 10(12), 293. https://doi.org/10.3390/economies10120293
21. National Center for Education Statistics. (2018). Beginning College Students Who Change Their Majors within 3 Years of Enrollment.
22. Nguyen, T. L., Nguyen, H. T., Nguyen, N. H., Nguyen, D. L., Nguyen, T. T. D., & Le, D. L. (2023). Factors affecting students’ career choice in economics majors in the COVID-19 post-pandemic period: A case study of a private university in Vietnam. Journal of Innovation and Knowledge, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2023.100338
23. Njeru, L. K. (2017). Youth in agriculture; perceptions and challenges for enhanced participation in Kajiado North Sub-County, Kenya. Greener Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 7(8), 203-209. http://doi.org/10.15580/GJAS.2017.8.100117141
24. Obayelu, O. A., & Fadele, I. O. (2019). Choosing a career path in agriculture: A tough calling for youths in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria. Agricultura Tropica et Subtropica, 52(1), 27-37. https://doi.org/10.2478/ats-2019-0004
25. Oladeji, B. D., & Gureje, O. (2016). Brain drain: A challenge to global mental health. BJPsych International, 13(3), 61-63. https://doi.org/10.1192/S2056474000001240
26. Omotosho, A., Asani, E., Ayegba, P., & Ayoola, J. (2020). Impact of agricultural education on students’ career choice: A survey. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 15(3), 51–61. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i03.11260
27. Ray, A., Bala, P. K., Dasgupta, S. A., & Srivastava, A. (2020). Understanding the factors influencing career choices in India: From the students’ perspectives. International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 20(2), 175. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJICBM.2020.105641
28. Rigg, J., Phongsiri, M., Promphakping, B., Salamanca, A., & Sripun, M. (2020). Who will tend the farm? Interrogating the ageing Asian farmer. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 47(2), 306-325. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2019.1572605
29. Tataj, X., & Akbaş, E. (2021). Brain Drain Toward EU and Its Impact on Labor Market: Albanian Case. Anadolu ve Balkan Araştırmaları Dergisi, 4(8), 371-384. https://doi.org/10.32953/abad.916062
30. Tola, A., & Mustafaj, S. (2024). Career management and Organizational Performance: Insights from Managers in the Albanian Service Industry. European Academic Research, 11(12), 1517-1523.
31. UNICEF Albania (2021). Education budget brief. Retrieved from https://albania.un.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/Education%20Budget%20Brief.pdf
Published
2024-11-25
How to Cite
Troka, P., Tola, A., Avdulaj, J., Luarasi, M., & Nika, K. (2024). Encouraging Rural Engagement of Young People: Understanding Career Choices of Students in the Agribusiness Sector. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 35, 464. Retrieved from https://eujournal.org/index.php/esj/article/view/18789
Section
ESI Preprints
Copyright (c) 2024 Pranvera Troka, Amalia Tola, Jonida Avdulaj, Marsela Luarasi, Klea Nika
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
