One of the many exhibitors you can meet at the Agri Careers Fair with jobs on offer is the Department of Agriculture. With the recruitment embargo lifted, the Department will be filling 200 positions in 2016. These job opportunities will span a range of disciplines, and include technical officer roles, agricultural inspector roles, administrative posts, food and microbiology laboratory scientists, marine engineers, vets, molecular biologists and ICT roles including applications development, GIS specialists and IT infrastructure development experts.

Teagasc is also aiming to fill approximately 200 positions in 2016. These positions include roles for technicians, research officers as well as postdoctoral positions.

Bord Bia is another exhibitor at the fair and is involved in two programmes: the marketing fellowship programme and the IBEC export-orientation programme. These programmes will be seeking 57 candidates altogether over coming weeks.

There are plenty of opportunities in the machinery sector at the fair too. Dairymaster is hoping to fill 65 roles in 2016 – and 37 of those are still available. The available positions include 13 engineering roles, eight roles in software and 16 in sales.

McHale is filling 25 positions over the next 12 months. Positions include assembly engineers, fitters, mechanical engineers, welders, market support abroad as well as a variety of other roles. The company’s specialist range of round balers and round and square bale wrappers are used on farms in more than 50 countries.

Another exhibitor, Massey Ferguson, has a technical apprenticeships scheme in partnership with Warwickshire College, as well as a full range of career opportunities through its NVQ-driven apprenticeship programme.

CLAAS will be recruiting for its agricultural technician apprenticeship at the fair. Students who complete this apprenticeship also receive a national diploma in land-based technology.

Meat processing

The meat processing sector is also actively recruiting at the fair. Kepak is recruiting graduates from marketing, finance, health and safety, IT, supply, trading, technical, business management, food science and agriculture.

Dawn Meats is looking for graduates from all backgrounds for vacancies in cattle procurement, production, planning, purchasing, engineering, finance and sales and marketing.

Irish Country Meats plans to fill approximately 23 positions this year. The lamb processor is looking for boners, trimmers, packers, general operatives, graduate management trainees, a management accountant, a credit controller and a networks systems engineer.

Slaney Foods is recruiting meat boners and trimmers, packing operatives, general operatives and an assistant production coordinator.

Dairy

As far as the dairy sector is concerned, Dairygold will be looking to fill quite specific roles at the fair – those of financial accountant, data analytics manager, warehouse manager and product shift manager. Later in the year, Dairygold will be recruiting to fill its 2016 graduate programme.

Aurivo Co-operative Society is recruiting graduates for its leadership development programme and is looking for graduates from a range of backgrounds: 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.

Ornua is currently recruiting for its newly built butter production and packing facility for Kerrygold in Mitchelstown as well as positions in its Dublin and Cork offices. The agri-food commercial co-op will have filled approximately 56 positions by the start of the summer.

Other organisations recruiting at the fair include IFAC which needs accountants and tax specialists, Horse Racing Ireland which has five internship positions to fill, Coillte will be recruiting for its graduate programme and Devenish Nutrition is currently accepting applications for its 2016/2017 graduate programme. Fyffes is also currently seeking graduates with leadership potential to join its international graduate management programme.

The jobs mentioned in this article are by no means an exhaustive list of the roles available on the day. Come along to the RDS on 3 March to find out more and check out all of the opportunities. CL