ENGINEERS TOY WITH TANKS AND TRACTORS

Posted 12 March 2003

ENGINEERS TOY WITH TANKS AND TRACTORS AT POPULAR HARPER OPEN DAY

By Chris Horn:

AN ENGINEERING OPEN Day and Careers Fair was the order of the day at Harper Adams University College, Shropshire, last week, with students past, present and future keen to show off machinery, chat to potential employers and view the facilities.

Engineering companies attending included multinationals JCB, Caterpillar and John Deere, all well represented with convention stands and vehicle demonstrations. Sam Taylor, a former Harper student, represented JCB on their stand and was very pleased with the number of people present during the day.

“We are not just offering engineering jobs,” he said. “There are several available in marketing and sales as well and we have seen some potentially very good students for all these job areas.”

One student interested in JCB was Tim Lowden, a first-year HND Business Management and Marketing student. He said: “I am looking at possible jobs for the future, and JCB strikes me as a company that could offer a great deal, especially providing an insight into a large company.”

Another former student, Andrew Shepherd, was running John Deere tractor demonstrations in Harper Adams’ covered Soil Hall. He said: “We have had a great deal of interest today, especially with the amount of large machinery that has been on display.”

With seven placement positions offered to Harper Adams’ students each year by John Deere, Mr Shepherd explained why the University College’s students impress companies so much.

“The foundations that students leave Harper with are extremely good - there are really no other universities that offer the same engineering opportunities. Not only do students have theoretical knowledge, they also have great hands-on practical knowledge and experience as well.”

Engineering is very much a key course at Harper Adams with 163 students on one engineering course or another at both HND and Degree level. For more details on open days or engineering courses at Harper Adams please ring Admissions on +44 (0) 1952 815 000 or e-mail: admissions@harper-adams.ac.uk

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