The Butchers Company is an enthusiastic supporter of Harper Adams University, the UK’s highest supplier of graduates to the meat and livestock industries. All students are engaged in land-based studies ranging from agricultural engineering to agri-food business and marketing. It has been rated top-ranked modern University for six consecutive years in the Times and Sunday Times rankings and is also highly rated for its teaching and success in finding jobs for its graduates. Around 99% of graduates find appropriate employment within 6 months of completing. Harper has teaching staff with specialised meat knowledge and funds made available by the Worshipful Company of Butchers were used for course development
The Company provided funding for the production of butchery videos to enhance the value of its meat courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Videos for beef, lamb, pork and poultry help develop a practical understanding of butchery skills, as well as improving experience and expertise on the value and use of different cuts.
The Company also helped to finance its Food Creativity and Innovation Laboratory, which enables students to undertake food photography, packaging design and product development with WCB funding assisting the purchase of photographic equipment for the laboratory, providing more ‘hands-on’ activity for students.
In recent years, the Company has supported Master of Research (MRes) degrees at the University. MRes degrees are of particular value for equipping students who are going into industry - enabling them to make use of relevant research and analytical techniques.
Students spend one third of the course studying four taught modules which follow a common framework, and the remainder of their time is focused on an in-depth research project. The area of research and title of the research project are agreed with a dedicated supervisor. The courses are delivered in one or two-week blocks throughout the academic year. For students who are already embarking on their careers, it is possible to complete the MRes over a two-year period with companies sometimes allowing time for study during working hours.
The five videos below show the five students currently working on projects sponsored by the WCB:
Liz Tree MRes WCB
'An evaluation of the impact of the Farms for City Children (FfCC) programme on participants' awareness and overall wellbeing'
Harriet Gregory MRes WCB
'The Under-Representation of Women in the Meat Industry.'
Aine Murray MRes WCB
'The Potential Role of Ruminant By-Products in the Carbon Footprint (CfP) Calculations of Meat.'
Susan O'Neill MRes WCB
'Identifying Ways of Attracting Young People into the Meat Industry.'
Tom Nash MRes WCB
'Optimization of 'Net Zero' Strategies in UK Beef and Sheep sectors.'
For further information on Harper Adams initiatives, contact:
Bob Bansback, Honorary Professor in Agricultural Economics, Harper Adams UniversityEmail: bob@bansback.co.uk