INITIATIVE TO STIMULATE A CAREER IN AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING AT THE FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF SERGIPE

Abstract

The initiative aims at two main objectives: first, a social effort to familiarize students, especially those from public schools, with the Federal University of Sergipe (UFS) and the Agricultural Engineering course, highlighting career opportunities; second, an educational strategy to increase student participation in the National High School Exam (Enem), aiming to improve competitiveness, particularly in less sought-after courses, such as Agricultural Engineering. Visits were made to two schools in the interior of Sergipe, where lectures were given to professionals and students, presenting the Agricultural Engineering course to the students. Before the lecture, a questionnaire was applied to identify the students' level of knowledge about the course. At the end, another questionnaire was also applied to assess the impact of the project. It was found that the students knew little about the Agricultural Engineering course. After the lecture, there was an increase in the interest of students in studying Agricultural Engineering. University students had the opportunity to experience integration, participation in outreach activities, and team collaboration.