What does "ou^" mean? the "^" is above the "u" by the way. also what does a' mean?

Roles of three employees in the agriculture, food, and natural resources cluster are given in this chart. which best describes the pathways of these three individuals? alana works in plant systems, louis works in animal systems, and fred works in natural resources. alana works in food processing systems, louis works in agribusiness, and fred works in natural resource systems. alana works in food processing systems, louis works in animal systems, and fred works in environmental services. alana works in the natural resource system, louis works in food product systems, and fred works in environmental services.