Each year students at Northern Ireland’s CAFRE colleges are given the opportunity to compete for a place to study in the US as part of their degree studies.
This year, three students at the College for Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) Loughry campus were awarded the opportunity to study at Michigan State University (MSU).
Claire McConkey from Larne, Co. Antrim, Erin Shields from Newry, Co. Down, and Hannah Whittle from Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, recently headed off to pastures new to spend the ‘fall semester’ sampling academic life at MSU.
These three students are currently studying on Loughry’s honours degree food courses and this experience “will give them the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and experience at one of the top research universities in the world”, according to Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
“This is an excellent opportunity for the students to study a range of exciting subjects, and to develop the personal and professional skills that are the key to success in the agri-food industry,” a spokesperson for DAERA said.
CAFRE
CAFRE runs three college campuses across Northern Ireland. These include: Enniskillen Campus, in Co. Fermanagh; Greenmount Campus, in Co. Antrim; and Loughry Campus, Co. Tyrone.
Courses at the colleges incorporate programmes in: agriculture; equine; floristry; food; horticulture; land-based engineering; veterinary nursing; and industry training.
