Kildare Charitable Trust Scholarship: Ben Williams

Ben Williams, 21 from Tyberton, Herefordshire is a final year BSc Agriculture with Mechanisation and a recipient of the Kildare Charitable Trust.

“I would like to thank the Kildare Charitable Trust for selecting me to receive this scholarship. Also, a special thanks to the Harper Adams Development Trust for facilitating the scholarship process.

“As well as being able to achieve the best possible degree classification, simply having a scholarship here at Harper Adams will set my CV apart from others when applying for jobs in the competitive world of graduate careers in the agricultural machinery sector.

Ben is very pleased to receive his award and shared how it will help him; he said, “This Scholarship will allow me to broaden my learning experience here at Harper Adams and improve my self-development, allowing me to access the best career possibilities.

“One example of how I plan to utilise the scholarship award is by travelling to the SIMA Agricultural Show in Paris in 2019. As well as travel and gaining a wider range of experience, the funds will allow me to focus on my studies by contributing towards living costs. Currently, I work behind the Student’s Union Bar and on a farm local to home on the weekends; with less reliance on this source of income I can spend more time on campus working towards my degree.”

Ben’s interest in farming comes from his local farming community; he said, “I come from a small village in rural West-Herefordshire. Although I do not live on a farm, I have always been involved in the local farming community, working on local farms for harvest and a keen member of the local young farmers club.

“I chose to focus my studies in agriculture due to discovering a passion for farming machinery when working on local farms. Harper Adams was my chosen place of study because of the great facilities on offer here such as the soil hall – a key resource for Mechanisation students.

“After completing a placement year at RVW Pugh, a large machinery dealership in Mid-Wales/Shropshire, I aim to pursue a career in this area of the industry. Providing farmers with key skills to operate modern machinery and promote the benefits of precision farming.

“When not studying at Harper Adams I compete for my local young farmers club. Personal favourites include the county rally day and ploughing matches – where I have found some particular success in recent years.”