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Harper Adams Club Scholarships 2013/14

Posted 2 March 2014

Four scholarships sponsored by alumni through the Harper Adams Club were awarded in 2013/14. 

Harriet Wilson, 22, from Haughton, Staffordshire, received the Harper Adams Club Final Year Scholarship. 

The Agri-food Marketing with Business Studies student said: “The scholarship has helped me to subsidise work experience, attend conferences and complete data collection for my dissertation. I plan to visit several abattoirs to collect data on beef carcass yields, classifications, breeds and other variables.

For her sandwich year placement Harriet worked for McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd, based at the head office in East Finchley, London.  “I worked within the Agriculture and Sourcing Department as the Agricultural Assurance Coordinator. My time with the company was filled with invaluable opportunities as I was able to gain corporate experience as well as an understanding of other agricultural sectors and the major issues effecting the company; namely public perception and brand trust. 

“My main project involved working with beef producers to write case studies based on effective on-farm efficiencies that they had implemented. The main aim of this project was to encourage knowledge sharing amongst McDonald’s and Marks &Spencer Sustainable Beef Club farmers.

“Upon graduation, I hope to work within the agricultural department of a food retailer or with a major supplier. Within this role, I hope to work with producers to share knowledge of the supply chain, consumer demands and efficiency measures.”

Jenny Tarn, 18, from Barnard Castle, was awarded the Harper Adams Club Extended Foundation Degree Scholarship. Jenny, who is working towards an honours degree in Agriculture with Crop Management, says: “This scholarship means I can follow through with the work experience I need to gain knowledge for my course. It will allow me to travel to farms to gain this experience.”

Agricultural Engineering Masters student Alex Skittery, 23, from Herefordshire, received the Harper Adams Club Postgraduate Scholarship.  “I really do thank my sponsors very much for the generous scholarship awards. Their financial help is much appreciated. The scholarships let me focus 100 per cent on studying without having to worry about finding part-time work,” said Alex, who completed a placement year working for a company in New Zealand, where he designed and built a working prototype mower. He has ambitions to “work at the forefront of engineering”. 

Emma Slater, a final year BSc (Hons) Agriculture with Animal Science student, received the Harper Adams Club Top-up Scholarship and said: “I feel extremely grateful and pleased to have been awarded the scholarship. The opportunities it will allow me to experience are second to none and I feel extremely privileged to be in this position. I am planning on using the money for a trip to America, to explore as many areas of the supply chain I can, from on farm production systems to genetics companies.

“For my placement year I worked for British Quality Pigs, a division of Dalehood Foods where I worked as a member of the technical team. I was able to gain understanding of both the industry and how the company worked. I found the year extremely rewarding and beneficial, gaining both technical knowledge and personal skills that prepared me well for returning to my studies at Harper.  

“As my studies have progressed I have gained increasing interest in animal nutrition. My ambition is to pursue a career within this area of the industry after I graduate this year.”