Learning the skills to feed a nation

Feeding the nation is no easy feat. While crop picking is being highlighted as the key area to support others throughout Covid-19, there are a range of other roles that keep Britain farming no matter the situation. Harper Adams teach these essential skills through our degrees that matter, supporting the agricultural industry and its supply chain.

Today, our degree apprenticeships manager Melanie Harwood shares how a degree apprenticeship can unlock the pathway to excellent career prospects as a food hero.

Do you have the skills and passion to help feed the world’s rapidly growing population? Have you considered a career in the food industry? Avara Foods are currently recruiting for degree apprenticeships in food engineering and food science roles.

Recent world events have shown how vital the food supply chain is to our health and economy. A degree apprenticeship is a full-time job with a part-time degree studied over five years, allowing you to make an impact in the business from the start.

Avara Foods is one of the UK’s leading food businesses supplying chicken, turkey and duck products into an impressive range of customers in the UK retail and food service sectors. They are a fully integrated business, owning and managing their entire supply chain; from feed mills, hatcheries, farms through to factories and logistics. With over 6300 talented colleagues delivering high standards, they have a number of sites located across the UK.

Harper Adams University have worked with Avara Foods over the last two years to train degree apprentices in both food engineering and food science. Three of Avara’s current apprentices share their experiences below.

Ethan is in the second year of his apprenticeship in Food Industry Technical Professional and works within the Technical Team at the Brackley site in Northamptonshire. He is currently a Quality Auditor ensuring the day-to-day food safety and quality in Avara’s products. When not carrying out his QA role, Ethan is often on placement within different areas of the company: learning about how the whole company operates; spending time with Avara’s logistics departments, hygiene teams, technical teams; as well as spending time at the company laboratory.

Rebecca, also based at the Brackley site within the Engineering team, is an Advanced Food & Drink Engineer degree apprentice, in her second year with Avara. Her role has evolved in this time and she has taken on more responsibility as she has progressed through her apprenticeship. She has learnt to weld and service machinery and has now moved into trend analysis and undertaking risk assessments.

Ana, who was already working within the Technical team at the Scropton site, is in the first year of her apprenticeship in Food Industry Technical Professional and enjoys the challenge of being a degree apprentice. She enjoys the opportunities she has within her role to learn and develop, whilst incorporating what she is learning at Harper Adams. Managing a full-time role and part-time studies requires a lot of effective time management but Ana is impressed by the range of progression opportunities available with Avara Foods.

If you would like to apply for a degree apprenticeship with Avara Foods follow this link to their careers site and search for degree apprenticeships.

For more information about degree apprenticeships at Harper Adams click here.

Food matters - make a difference.