Written by John Swire
Hartpury University agriculture students visited one of the UK’s biggest food businesses to discover more about the wide range of careers on offer within the food industry.
Organised in conjunction with Tesco and the NFU, the field trip to Avara Foods included a tour of its facilities, a presentation and opportunities to discuss career prospects within the sector with management.
The students are all studying a BSc (Hons) Agriculture degree, which develops practical management skills in livestock farming and crop production.
Hartpury, whose graduates have gained employment with major businesses such as Agrii, Yorkshire Farmers and Siemens, works in partnership with leading organisations to further enhance the career opportunities for its students.
Module leader Patrick Tandy said: “We’re committed to providing our students with the experience, knowledge and skills that they will need to hit the ground running when they begin their careers in the agriculture industry.
“We have been working closely with the NFU in the delivery of the poultry module to our degree students and this led to our visit to Avara, which supplies chicken, turkey and duck to some of the biggest restraurants and supermarkets in the country.
“Our students valued the opportunity to gain a real insight into the processes involved in the production of food and to find out more about the broad range of careers available in the industry.
“Hartpury is extremely grateful to Avara and Tesco for providing this invaluable and informative insight and we look forward to continuing our close relationship going forward.”
Hartpury’s on-site commercial farm, Home Farm, which supplies produce to Sainsbury’s, Muller, Glencore and Frontier, provides students with access to a wide range of the latest farming equipment.
Hartpury’s £2 million Agri-Tech Centre, which is set to officially open early next year, will provide farmers, students and organisations with access to the latest commercial technology.
Hartpury has recently announced exciting ambitions to create a Digital Innovation Farm, in response to an increasingly digital world with global demand for new technology in farming.
This development will include the National Centre for Agricultural Data Management and Interpretation, which will play a pivotal role in the development of agricultural data and security, from Hartpury’s 360-hectare campus.
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