Aljam Community College (ACC) has agricultural training programs that range from eight to eleven months. The Professional Farming (11 months), Professional Horticulture (8 months) and Professional Cooking (11 months) programs have been registered with the Private Careers Training Institution Agency (PCTIA) to provide quality level of private education that will prepare students for an array of careers in the agricultural industry. The Aljam family are fourth generation cow/calf ranch operators located on the Paul’s Basin Indian Reserve – Coldwater Indian Band, running a commercial beef herd with community corn summer range close by. Harold Aljam is a rancher and also the Chief of the Coldwater Indian Band. The ranch operation was passed down from his family which gave a head starts on operating a cow/calf ranch.
Harold is involved with agricultural organizations within the Thompson-Nicola region, province of British Columbia and across Canada, as a way to giveback to the agricultural communities. His goal as the President of the Aboriginal Agricultural Education Society of British Columbia is to engage young farmers in sustainable agriculture. “The current demographics are adding ranching population and lack of succession planning. We need to engage young people to enter into agricultural training and operating agricultural businesses” says Harold.
WHO WE ARE
The Aboriginal Agricultural Education Society of British Columbia (AAESBC) is a charity that was created in April 27, 2005 in an effort to provide practical hands on agricultural training services to First Nations and other students in BC.
The purpose of AAESBC is to advance education in the fields of agricultural practice, science, technology and business among members of First Nations communities in Canada, and other students.
