Graduate programmes open and CAO deadline looms

We are coming into graduate season, as numerous programmes are opening up across the industry.

As students scramble to begin their application process, companies across agriculture and further afield begin their attempts to attract the best graduates into their programmes.

Companies such as Glanbia, Ornua and Aurivo have all announced the opening of their graduate programmes. Applications for the Dairygold programme has been open since early September, while Kerry Group will be opening its graduate programme early this month.

Other firms that take a number of agricultural science students each year, such as KPMG, Deloitte IFAC, Musgraves and Arysta, have also opened up their application process.

The majority of companies will set their deadlines for applications for mid- to late-October, with some venturing into the new year.

CAO offer season about to end

The Central Applications Office (CAO) offer season is about to close in the next number of weeks. The closing date for the 2018 CAO offers is 17 October at 5.15pm, after the results of the Leaving Certificate appeals are released.

The CAO issued 73,652 round-one offers to 50,746 CAO applicants on Monday 20 August, while 2,337 offers were issued to applicants for the second round on 29 August, according to the CAO.

The third round offers were made on 7 September, with the acceptance date being 12 September.

The CAO will re-open on 6 November, with the online application facility opening as well as the change-of-course-choices facility.

Veterinary student begins course after High Court action

A Wexford student who won her case against the State Examinations Commission (SEC) in the High Court last week, has began veterinary medicine studies at UCD this week.

Rebecca Carter took the SEC to the High Court to have a marking mistake fixed on time in order to study in UCD this academic year.

The case was taken after Carter, who was repeating the Leaving Certificate, realised her mark was calculated incorrectly.

Mr Justice Richard Humphreys said an appeals process, which took a month a half, was not fit for purpose, highly unfair and causing undue stress to students. He called on the Department of Education to review the process.