As the trend has shown for the past 11 months – things are a little different this year – and Viva Fresh’s Aggies for Fresh is no exception. The popular partnership with DMA Solutions (DMA) is back for the sixth year to virtually connect industry professionals to Texas A&M students.

“Whether in-person or remote, our industry will continue fostering and recruiting talent for the next generation of our workforce,” said Dante Galeazzi, president & CEO of the Texas International Produce Association. “Despite the changes to this year’s expo and program, I’m pleased that we could find creative solutions to engage students and offer networking connections in a fully remote experience.”

Previous programs have included an application and interview process with selected students attending Viva Fresh in person. In the interest of safety in 2021, TIPA and Viva Fresh will host a series of educational webinars introducing students to the fresh produce industry. Additionally, the program will use a series of matchmaking tools to connect select students and industry members with potential internship candidates.

To kick it off, Aggies for Fresh will host a live video group chat to answer students’ initial questions about the program and discuss internship and full-time opportunities during the Texas A&M AGLS Career Fair on February 18^th.  The virtual Aggies for Fresh experience will include an introduction to purpose driven careers, exploring careers in the fresh produce industry, and guidance on marketing themselves as they network to potential employers in a virtual environment.

Dan’l Mackey Almy, President and CEO of DMA Solutions remarked, “Viva Fresh provides a great venue for students to get acquainted with the fresh produce industry and have productive recruitment conversations with people seeking to hire bright, young talent. We look forward to continuing the success we have seen with this partnership with TIPA and Aggies for Fresh for the last five years.”

As students are selected for the program in coming weeks, TIPA industry members and Viva Fresh participants will have the opportunity to promote available internships and full-time positions to candidates. They will also receive additional information that includes student bios and resumes in order to offer virtual interviews where appropriate.

If you are interested in posting a job or participating in this year’s Aggies for Fresh, please contact Hena Husain or visit the Viva Fresh Expo website.