ÎÞÂ붯»­

Industry achievements celebrated at annual Placement Awards

Posted 11 March

The winners of this year's Agrovista awards were - BSc (Hons) Agriculture with Animal Science student Chloe Baker, who went on placement to New Zealand, and FdSc Agriculture student Will Lovatt, who went on placement in Namibia, Africa.

The achievements of Harper Adams students returning from a year in industry have been celebrated at the University’s annual Placement Awards.

Speaking to open the event, ÎÞÂ붯»­ Vice-Chancellor Professor Ken Sloan said: “Placement pulls together several things which are very special about this institution.

“It shows the advocacy and support of industry and sponsors who come together to create opportunities for our students – but also have a very forward-looking perspective on finding talent. I know from talking to different placement providers just how important it is to be able to identify the right talent for their organisation – and placements are an important way of doing that.

“It shows that we as a University are inevitably connected to the outside world. Knowledge is only valuable, and skills are only valuable, if they are translated in practice. It’s that collaboration, between our students, our industry partners, and everyone who works at the University, which leads us to have such a high graduate employability rating.

“I want to say thank you to our students – when you go out on placement, you are not only an ambassador for yourself but you are an ambassador for this institution – and what really humbles me when I talk to organisations is hearing about the positivity you take, the open mindedness you bring, and your willingness, bluntly, to just get stuck in.”

The winner of this year’s Buccleuch Prize, awarded annually to the top performing Land Management placement student, was BSc (Hons) Rural Enterprise and Land Management student Tom Jerman, who was presented with his prize by Professor Sloan.

Two students secured an Agrovista UK Ltd Prize, which is awarded for Best Overall Performance on Placement for Agriculture students - BSc (Hons) Agriculture with Animal Science student Chloe Baker, who went on placement to New Zealand, and FdSc Agriculture student Will Lovatt, who went on placement in Zambia, Africa.

Presenting the prizes, Principal Lecturer Dr Russell Readman said: “Placement is a game changer for our students.

“It helps to set our graduates apart from those from other institutions and develops them as confident, well-rounded, work-ready individuals.

“Our winners this year share a common theme – none come from family farms, underlining how our courses enable young people with a passion for agriculture to access our industry, irrespective of their background – and both also stepped out of their comfort zone to undertake placement overseas.”

The winner of the closely-fought Cultura Connect Prize for Best Overall Performance on Placement for Business or Food students was BSc (Hons) Agri-food Marketing with Business student Katie West, with BSc (Hons) Agri-business student Sian Jones in second place and BSc (Hons) Agri-food Marketing with Business final year Millie Walters in third.

Presenting the prizes, Cultura Connect Managing Director and Harper Adams alumnus Hugh Pocock said: “It is a really joyous occasion to see these people that have gone through a placement year – because I think it makes such a difference to your career.

“That’s something we see on a daily basis when we are talking to people who have come through Harper.

“Whether it’s now, or thirty years ago, it makes such an impact – it had a huge impact on me!”

Aspire Prizes  

 In total, eleven students – chosen from right across the undergraduate course subject suites taught at ÎÞÂ붯»­ – were awarded an Aspire Prize.

These are given to the student with the highest overall performance in personal development planning.  This year’s winners, who were presented with their prize by Harper Adams Vice-Chancellor Professor Ken Sloan, were:  

Katy Padgett – BSc (Hons) Agriculture with Animal Science

Bekah Geary – FdSc Agriculture

Paige Donegan – BSc (Hons) Animal Behaviour and Welfare (Clinical Animal Behaviour))

Joe Adams – BSc (Hons) Applied Zoology

Sian Jones – BSc (Hons) Agri-business

Alfie Rumsey – BSc (Hons) Environmental Land Management

Eliza Gladstone – MEng Mechanical Engineering

Chiara Manna Smith – BSc (Hons) Food Technology and Product Development

Georgie Tucker – BSc (Hons) Rural Property Management

Victoria French – BSc (Hons) Veterinary Nursing with Small Animal Rehabilitation

Emily Mayer – BSc (Hons) Veterinary Physiotherapy