According to Farmers Weekly, the farmers apprentice is regarded as a high-octane and innovative internship.
While you might assume that work in the world of agriculture starts and ends within the four walls of the field, there is actually a lot more going on behind the scenes of this internship which makes it so prestigious and sought after.
Whether you’re looking at entering the agriculture industry or would just like to find out a little more as to what this scheme offers, we’ll take you through what this fantastic apprentice with Farmcare involves and why it could be a great step to take if you’re motivated to work within the agriculture industry.
Innovation
Innovation is certainly key throughout farming. Whether it’s looking at improving farming equipment to house livestock (more of which you can find out about by heading to Shield Agriculture’s blog) or considering more effective methods of farming for crop production, the idea of innovation is certainly supported by Farmcare who believe that creativity is fundamental to the future of farming.
Consequently, the Farmers Apprentice gives the opportunity to observe other industries using similar processes to help advance their own business.
This idea was demonstrated when Farmcare organised an ‘innovation session’ with Jaguar Land Rover at the car manufacturer’s Castle Bromwich site, and was the first of a number of creative workshops.
As quoted in this Farmers Weekly article discussing the agriculture program, the head of businesses change at Farmcare Amie Harris stated that: “Taking the team out of their comfort zone and into a different environment really got the creative juices flowing as, like manufacturing, farming is process led, so there’s plenty of synergy, but instinct plays an important part too.’’
The event also encompasses representatives from a host of businesses including Richard Quinn, Farmcare’s CEO, the director of operations and head of business change, craftsmen, farm managers and assistant managers, therefore, is a great opportunity for the apprentices to mingle with leading figures in the industry.
As part of the innovative thinking at Farmcare, the company is also looking at alternative markets for produce which is not suitable for retail.
Wide scope of learning
Innovation is a key element in the work achieved at Farmcare, however, the Farmers Apprentice also provides the individual with new insights into heritage farming techniques and how these can work alongside more innovative approaches.
Such techniques taught include the Herefordshire Tillington Estate, renowned for farming top fruit since 1913, as well as Highland Court’s new approaches to apple growing which uses special machinery to locate the best fruit.
The opportunity to work with a combination of traditional farming integrated with corporate learning will help to give the apprentice a taste as to the wide variety of sectors and is beneficial should they wish to specialise in a particular area at a later stage.
Top IT resources
To aid the company’s innovative learning, a cutting edge IT system has been put in place in order to help improve the communication across of host of sites as well as critically throughout the company.
Applications
The date for applications for this year’s apprentice has unfortunately passed, yet if you would be interested in applying to be next year’s apprentice, or would just like to find out more about the internship then head to the Farmers Apprentice website.
