News from the management

One small, concrete step that has already been implemented is that SLU now allows late applications during late summer for programmes that have unfilled spots. Interested individuals, who for various reasons did not apply in time, are given an additional opportunity to do so afterwards. Another step is that SLU's main education board is proposing to distribute marketing funds to the programme boards to decentralise the work and complement the measures already being carried out centrally by the communications department.

Recruitment projects at LTV

Fakultetens egna rekryteringsprojekt fortgår under hösten. Vi arbetar nu mer djuplodande med att analysera information om programmen, var studenter hamnar ute i arbetslivet samt vilka våra presumtiva studenter är och hur de tänker. Enligt t ex Ungdomsbarometern är det viktigt med karriär och lön efter utbildningen och unga idag lyssnar till skillnad från tidigare generationer gärna på sina föräldrar. Substans är viktigt i kommunikationen men också äkthet och ett seriöst tilltal. Central information är dels att visa på konkreta exempel på vad man kan arbeta med efter studierna, dels hur det är att vara student på våra program.

Filmer

Two films featuring interviews with alumni from the landscape engineer programmes in Alnarp and Ultuna are therefore currently being finalised with the help of an external communications agency and will be presented during the autumn. The films will be produced in two versions: a shorter 20-second film for social media and a longer 2-minute film for websites and YouTube. For the horticultural management - gardening and horticultural production programme with a focus on cultivation, we are trying a different approach by encouraging students and teachers to film study situations and student life, which Educational Media at SLU is helping us to compile and supplement. In this way, we create a more authentic and closer representation of what it is like to attend the programme. There are also activities planned for other programmes.

Open house events

Planning is also underway for physical open house events in Alnarp and Ultuna during the spring, both locally and from the communications department. At the faculty, we are learning from the efforts made during the spring with open Friday afternoons and will invite prospective students to two occasions in the spring in Alnarp, where they can visit our campuses and be inspired by the activities and environment. Our campus environments are a competitive advantage we should not underestimate.

Collaborations

Another approach is to develop strong relationships with the upper secondary schools and folk high schools from which we recruit students. For example, we have renewed our collaboration with Hvilan Education outside Åkarp, which involves our programme directors visiting Hvilan, and their students coming to Alnarp for study visits and lectures. Teacher exchanges are also being discussed.

SLU Youth institute

In this context, the work with the SLU Youth Institute should also be mentioned, as well as the annual meetings with invited upper secondary students in Alnarp. The goal is to spark interest in global issues with a particular focus on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 2 – zero hunger. The next meetings in Uppsala on 7 May and in Alnarp on 15 May next year offer us an opportunity to raise awareness about our programmes.

We must also review the content of our courses and critically assess their relevance through increased dialogue with stakeholders and representatives of professions and industries. Through long-term and consistent local efforts in information, marketing, and collaboration, I am quite confident that we can reverse the trend and increase the number of students interested in our excellent programmes.

Karl Lövrie, deputy dean

(This text is translated with help of AI.)