2026 marks the third Year of the Hub’s support of Student Compendium
Written by Sophie Compton-Cook for the SA Drought Hub
The SA Drought Hub is continuing its support of the South Australian Student Compendium in 2026, and remains one of the project’s major funding partners through support of its annual internship.
The Compendium, a collaborative project of the Ag Institute of Australia SA Division (AIA-SA) and the Adelaide University Agricultural Students’ Association (AUASA), is an all-inclusive publication encompassing an extensive range of agricultural opportunities and professional pathways.
The Hub’s funding will continue to enable the work of this year’s Compendium Project Officer, Jordan Norman, who has led a team of interns in developing the highly anticipated sixth edition of the student resource.
SA Drought Hub Knowledge Broker Tony Randall said its aim is to encourage leadership and initiative among early ag professionals, which is critical to building a resilient and future-focused agricultural sector.
“Supporting initiatives like the Student Compendium is about more than career awareness, it’s about building capability across the industry,” Mr Randall said.
“The compendium is a wonderful resource for early career professionals to find opportunities and pathways in agriculture. From the Drought Hub’s perspective, our support aligns with our broader goal of strengthening drought resilience through knowledge, skills and collaboration.”
“We need skilled, informed and connected young professionals who are ready to lead and adapt in response to challenges ahead.”
Compendium Project Officer, Jordan Norman, is endeavouring to expand agricultural engagement and broaden the scope of opportunities available for young agriculturalists and sees the Hubs sponsorship as essential to enable the Compendium team to extend its reach across SA.
Jordan has been active in SA promoting the compendium at a range of industry events – from workshops with the Agricultural Teachers Association of South Australia (ATASA) to conference presentations and publications with leading organisations including PIEFA, AgED and Australasia-Pacific Extension Network (APEN), Jordan is focused on ensuring the Compendium is well utilised by students and teacher alike.
“The SA Drought Hub’s support has allowed me to dedicate time to leading strategic engagement with industry, mentoring student interns and expanding the reach of the Compendium. We have been able to connect with thousands of people about the real-world opportunities across the agricultural sector,” he said.
Through the internship, Jordan has also developed strong skills in stakeholder engagement, communication, leadership and project coordination, all critical to effective agricultural extension and education.
“One of the biggest things I’ve learnt in the internship is how important communication and relationships are in agriculture. At first, it was daunting reaching out to people, but the industry is incredibly supportive and willing to help – that was a real mindset shift for me. I am proud to be a champion of the compendium.”
In recognition of his efforts in championing the Compendium, Jordan was highly commended in the 2026 Best Rural Communicator Award by Rural Media and Communicators SA/NT.
“While that recognition was never the goal, it highlights the impact that can come from getting involved, taking opportunities and contributing to something bigger than yourself,” he said.
AIA-SA expresses its sincere appreciation of the Hub’s generous sponsorship and its support towards fostering the next generation of agricultural leaders.
Since the completion of his compendium internship, Jordan has progressed his involvement with Ag Institute and is now Vice President of the organisation’s SA Division.
