Bayer Inspires Next Generation of Leaders at 4-H Ignite Summit

Teens from across the country gathered in Washington, D.C., for an annual gathering focused on career exploration and readiness.

The National 4-H Organization, a leading youth organization that reaches every zip code in the U.S., recently launched a new five-year initiative called “Beyond Ready.” Their focus is to build a ready generation at a time of alarming levels of negativity for youth.

As a long-standing partner and sponsor of 4-H, Bayer is committed to help drive this initiative so that youth are better prepared for the opportunities and challenges of tomorrow.

“Partnering with organizations like 4-H allows us to help empower and grow the next generation of agricultural leaders, said Brian Naber, President, North America, Australia and New Zealand Region, Crop Science. "I have the utmost confidence in these rising leaders in bringing the right skills and solutions to help America’s farmers continue to thrive.”

Before launching Beyond Ready, 4-H gathered research and surveys from youth and employers to see if any gaps existed. What they found was that youth are missing essential skills for future jobs, and that core skills like analytical thinking, creative thinking, resilience, flexibility, and adaptability are key for success in the workforce.

The Beyond Ready initiative is about preparing today’s youth to meet the challenges of tomorrow with confidence, resilience and purpose. That mission is possible through meaningful partnerships with organizations like Bayer. That commitment to youth skill-building and career readiness helps us turn research into real-world impact. Together, we’re empowering young people with the tools, mentorship and experiences they need to lead and succeed in a rapidly changing world.

Jill Bramble

,

President and CEO, National 4-H Council

At the annual 4-H Ignite Summit, this theme of skills development was on full display. Leaders from Bayer participated in the career exploration networking event and gave a workshop explaining how the ongoing development of skills is essential for navigating a dynamic organization.

The Bayer-led workshop – “Skills Over Titles: Embracing the Future of Work” – focused on intentional skills development, life-long learning, and the skills needed to successfully navigate a complex organization. Approximately 120 teens attended two workshop sessions with the goal of demonstrating the process of intentionally developing skills.

4-H Teen listen to Bayer employees talking about skills needed in the workplace — Jonathan Ernst, 4-H Engagement Lead and Deputy Director of Strategic and Digital Communications, shares his experiences developing skills in a dynamic organization to 4-H teens during the 4-H Ignite Summit on March 13 in Washington D.C.

Many of the jobs that will exist in the next five years haven’t even been invented yet. One of the Bayer presenters, Jonathan Ernst, 4-H Engagement Lead and Deputy Director of Strategic and Digital Communications, shared his experiences as someone who is in a job that didn’t exist when he was in high school.

“It was great working with the teens and sharing my experiences developing skills and navigating during a time of transition in the communications industry,” Jonathan said. “A few teens came up to me after the workshops saying how eye-opening our perspective was to them. That was our goal, to give them a perspective they won’t get in school on how to navigate and continuously learn in their career.”

Aly White, Field Sales Trainee Lead at Bayer, also presented during the workshop. In her role at Bayer, she helps set new employees up for success.

Aly White“We are experiencing a shift in how we work and how we think about work,” Aly said. “We gave the teens perspective on what that looks like at a dynamic organization like Bayer and we gave them tips on how they can purposefully develop their skills to be successful in their careers.”