Students tackle project to try to win award

Posted 27 October 2010

The Rural Enterprise and Land Management (REALM) course at Harper Adams has once again teamed up with property consultants Carter Jonas to offer students the chance to win a professional practice award.

The 83 second year REALM students at the University College in Shropshire are working in groups to produce an appraisal report for a real-life estate.

The students will be looking at Haston Farmhouse and estate in Sansaw, Shropshire, by kind permission of owner James Thompson and tenants Mr and Mrs Rushworth.

During the module they will have the chance to visit the site and the groups will write accounts including a marketing and valuation report of the estate, a description of the land and how it could be let or generate income and a development appraisal of the buildings at the farm with planning permission or change of use details.

The students will also need to produce a letter to the owners and an invoice for their time spent working on the project.

Students have until Christmas to work on the project and prizes of up to £300 will be awarded to the winning groups.

Simon Keeble, REALM course manager, said: “Having the experience and support of Carter Jonas is invaluable to the students. This project is just the sort of the thing they could be asked to do during their sandwich years so it gives them a great grounding.”

Ex-Harper student and Carter Jonas Associate, Andrew Black, who set up the award, said: "This award really demonstrates commitment by Carter Jonas to create a long-lasting relationship with Harper Adams by offering the students first-class case studies and a taste of working in the real world.

“It's designed to be very close to a real life case study and exactly the sort of thing they would be asked to do on a sandwich placement and in the workplace.

"I left Harper in 2002 and I feel that my experience helps the students. I get emails from the students once they have been on a sandwich unit thanking me for the chance to do a real-life case study, which they say really helps them when they start working for real."