There are ten graduate programmes being recruited for at the Agri Careers Fair which takes place in the RDS on Thursday 3 March (register for free here if you wish to attend). Not only are there grad programmes with Fyffes, IFAC, Coillte, Aurivo, Ornua and Devenish Nutrition, there are also graduate programmes in the following meat processors: Kepak, Irish Country Meats and Slaney Foods International.

Dairygold has graduate opportunities too.

Aurivo is recruiting for graduates to join its leadership development programme. The co-op is looking for graduates from a range of disciplines – agricultural science, dairy science, food science, business, marketing and finance. The positions will rotate across Aurivo’s various business units over a two-year intensive programme and will require a high degree of flexibility with regards to location and working arrangements. Contracts will initially be on a 12-month renewable fixed-term basis.

Devenish Nutrition is an agri-technology company based in Belfast, supplying animal feeds for the pig, poultry and ruminant sectors. Devenish will be accepting CVs for their graduate and student placement programmes for 2016/2017. Closing date is Thursday 10 March. The company has two manufacturing sites in Iowa and Minnesota, US and key distributors throughout Europe, Asia, Middle and Far East.

Horticulture and forestry

Fyffes is currently seeking outstanding, self-motivated graduates with leadership potential to join the Fyffess International Graduate Management Programme, while the Coillte Graduate Development Programme offers recently qualified graduates a three-year placement to gain experience across Coillte’s forestry division. Graduates will be provided with placements in the areas of resource optimisation analysis and planning, harvesting and operations management, customer supply management or financial planning and analysis. Applications for the 2016 programme will open on 14 March 2016 and successful applicants will join the programme in August 2016.

Meat processing

Kepak Group has a turnover in excess of €750m and employs over 2,000 people and is recruiting 12 graduates from across all disciplines including marketing, finance, health and safety, IT, supply, trading, technical, business management, food science and agriculture. Their nine manufacturing facilities are located across Ireland and the UK.

Successful applicants will undergo intensive training in all aspects of the business including operations, quality, planning, sales and procurement. For this, Kepak are looking for a third-level degree, a can-do attitude and a willingness to work in all departments of the business. The deadline for applications is 7 March.

Irish Country Meats normally takes on three to four graduates but this can changes depending on the calibre of the applications. These positions would be split between Camolin and Navan. This year the focus is on commercial with languages, but Irish Country Meats is also open to quality and general production.

Dawn Meats is open for applicants all year round and is taking on 25 graduates in Ireland and the UK for 2016. A continental European language is preferable but not essential in those applying while the programme offers the opportunity for finance and accounting graduates to gain a professional qualification from ACA, CIMA, ACCA or CPA. The array of areas for which opportunities are available for Dawn Meats graduates is very impressive; cattle procurement, agriculture, planning, production, technical, sales and marketing, purchasing, engineering, accounting and finance, new product development, human resources, health and safety and environmental.

Dawn Meats says their programme provides quality training with hands-on involvement across key areas of the business. “We invest in our people to develop the skills necessary to become future managers of Dawn Meats,” says a Dawn Meats spokesperson.

Dawn Meats’ graduate programme is structured to provide candidates with an opportunity to develop their skills and experiences over a range of disciplines over two years. Formal training is combined with on-the-job training from experienced professionals within the business. Dawn Meats says it recognises the importance of continuous development and works closely with recognised Management Development Institutes in Ireland and the UK to develop its graduates as managers of the future.

ABP is also recruiting for a graduate mechanical engineer, a sales graduate and a HR graduate.