Careers fair attracts more than 130 businesses

Posted 20 November 2019

More than 130 businesses attended the Careers and Placement Fair at Harper Adams giving students from all years the opportunity to meet potential employers, explore future careers and discuss placement and graduate openings.

Many employers said they remain impressed by how industry-ready many Harper Adams students are and return to the event each year hoping to recruit more students.

“There is no university in the country that produces students better for us than Harper Adams,” says Ian Harrison, HR Manager at Rail-Ability, “We find that Harper Adams students are a year ahead of anyone else we talk to about placements. We’ve got five placement students and a graduate at the moment and they’re all incredibly successful.”

The annual event also saw a number of graduates and placement students returning to the university to share their experiences and help current students pick a career that suits them.

Cerys Davies, studying Agri-food Marketing with Business, is on placement with artisan dessert maker Sidoli. She said that, from day one, her placement employer trusted her with important projects such as website redesign.

On finding her placement, Cerys said: “I came to the fair last year and that’s where I found out about Sidoli. It was the perfect placement for me. I have lots of responsibility and it’s nice to know that your employer trusts you with big projects from day one.”

Joshua Heath graduated in 2018 from Food and Consumer Studies and is now an account manager at food processing company ADM, selling to brands such as Greggs and Warburtons. While Joshua’s background is in hospitality, he came to Harper to understand the food industry’s bigger picture.

“Studying at Harper made me more open minded. When you understand the whole supply chain it makes you more aware of and ready to tackle the challenges the industry faces.” says Joshua, “Harper Adams students have a real passion for what they and that’s why most employers in the food industry focus on them for placements and graduate positions.”

Careers Services Manager, Maria Simpson said: “It is fantastic to engage with the commercial world and bridge learning with career development. It’s amazing that 137 employers are looking at so many different opportunities to help and support students develop their skills for the future.”

Find out more about the Careers Fair.