The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) has announced that the total awards from industry bursary and scholarships for the 2024/2025 academic year comes to a total of £96,000.
Forty-nine bursary awards were presented to CAFRE first year higher education students, with a total value of £73,500 awarded.
Nine scholarships, with a value of £2,500 each, were on offer to honours degree students, and include the opportunity to undertake a paid work placement year with the sponsor.
Speaking at the first combined Industry Support Programme, Paul McHenry (acting CAFRE director) said that: “In a break from tradition, we have combined the discipline specific bursary and scholarship awards events into one CAFRE occasion. This reflects the integration of the supply chains across the land-based industries.”
CAFRE said that these scholarships provide students with the opportunity to engage with the company and to demonstrate their career capabilities.
The CAFRE Industry Support Programme was hosted at Loughry Campus in Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, and attended by agriculture, equine, food, and horticulture recipients and their sponsors.
The presentation event provided sponsors with the chance to meet and interact directly with the finalists.
The application process also required the students to create a video to demonstrate their suitability for the award, while some businesses interviewed their applicants before final award decisions were announced.
Promoting sustainability, competitiveness, innovation, and resilience within the sector are crucial for its success, CAFRE said.
McHenry stated: “We come together to recognise the invaluable support of our industry partners to the education and professional development of CAFRE students, the future leaders of agri-food, equine and horticulture businesses.
“The agri-food industry is a cornerstone of Northern Ireland’s economy. It contributes significantly to the region’s productivity with total sales in excess of £6 billion per year and supports over 113,000 jobs.
“The horticulture sector in Northern Ireland encompasses a wide range of roles, from speciality crop production to garden design. It provides employment opportunities for approximately 14,000 people directly and 6,000 people indirectly,” McHenry added.
