It is very much a case of watch this space for the Agri Careers Fair. The event, which is brought to you by the Irish Farmers Journal and open eir, was launched last week. New exhibitors and speakers are coming on board all the time. Just some of the exhibitors you can meet on the day include Moocall and Innopharma Labs, while someone who made headlines globally in 2011 – Féilim Mac An Iomaire – is also taking to the main stage on the day.

In 2011, Féílim, who hails from Connemara, was a 26-year-old unemployed marketing graduate who had been home from Australia for nine months but was still jobless.

He had sent out over 100 job applications but his efforts had proven fruitless – until he gave it one last blast. He took out a double-sided billboard on the Merrion Road in Dubin (it cost €2,000) which said: “Save me from Emigration.” Followed in smaller print by: “For more information and my CV, contact joblesspaddy@gmail.com.”

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The billboard was up for just two weeks but resulted in Féilim receiving 20 job interviews and five job offers. He says he had his pick of jobs and after three weeks he accepted a role as a communications executive with bookmakers Paddy Power.

Moocall

Moocall is just one of the many companies representing the ag-tech sector at the fair. Moocall produces a calving alert sensor that’s attached to a pregnant cow’s tail. It monitors the cow’s level of activity and can identify when she is close to calving. It will then send a text alert message to the farmer’s phone, usually about one hour prior to calving.

Innopharma Labs

Innopharma Labs is an education and technology solutions provider to the pharmaceutical and food technology industries and will also be exhibiting at the fair.

The education side of the business runs courses from Level 6 to Master’s level in the areas of food science, pharmaceutical science, pharmaceutical business and data analytics.

All of the programmes are fully accredited through QQI. Particularly relevant to the food industry are the Level 6 food science and technology course and the Level 8 higher diploma in food science and technology which are run in both Dublin and Cork.

If you are interested in a career in the agri-industry, register for theIrish Farmers Journal and open eir Agri Careers Fair, which takes place in the RDS on 3 March 2016.

Find out more about the Agri Careers Fair in our podcast: