Greenvale is leading the way with Graduate Development Programme

Around 400,000 people, approximately 14% of the UK workforce currently works in the food production and manufacturing sector, making it the UK’s second largest employer.

However, despite available jobs and rising unemployment amongst graduates, in recent years the number of students entering the Fresh Produce sector has steadily declined.

Greenvale, the UK’s leading potato supplier is actively attracting graduates back into the industry with the continued success of their Graduate Development Programme.

Through the programme, Greenvale provides opportunities to graduates each year to work in up to four different areas of the business over a 2 year period, before taking up a position with the company at the end. The programme enables graduates to enhance a wide range of valuable skills in areas such as project and time management, managing meetings and presentations as well as giving them a vital insight into the running of the company as a whole before they choose their career path. Each programme is tailored to the skills and interests of the individual graduate and placements can include anything from working in Sales and Marketing to Agronomy and Seed Development.

Throughout the programme, Greenvale also offers off-the-job training, with every graduate completing an IOSH Certificate in Health and Safety, as well as the opportunity to study towards a post-graduate qualification.

Whilst offering a graduate scheme of this kind in the fresh produce sector is not common practice, HR Director Andy Ferguson believes that it is one of the best ways to attract people into the industry.

“At Greenvale, we believe that a good salary and benefits package whilst training, an opportunity to experience different aspects of the business and the prospect of a position in the company when the programme ends, will help to attract more graduates not only into Greenvale but also into the fresh produce industry as a whole.”

Since the scheme began, Greenvale has successfully guided 8 graduates through the programme, with all going into permanent positions within the company.

Emma Brown, who completed the Graduate Development Programme in September 2013 and now works as a Trading Co-ordinator at the Company’s Tern Hill site in Shropshire says: “When I joined Greenvale, I wasn’t sure of the kind of role I wanted. So the big attraction for me was the opportunity to undertake a number of different placements. I learnt everything from how potatoes are grown to planning production lines in a factory!”

The UK is currently experiencing a shortfall in Agronomists, with universities struggling to attract students onto agronomy courses and vacancies across the industry as a result of retirement. Therefore, Greenvale is delighted that its latest graduate trainee, Emily Borton, who begins her first placement in April 2014, is hoping to pursue a career in Agronomy.

Greenvale Champions Young Agronomists

With graduate unemployment at a record high, young people struggling to find work and the demand for apprenticeships and graduate programmes far outweighing the number of places available, the job prospects for young people can look rather bleak. However, one profession which has plenty of training and employment opportunities available but a serious shortfall in new recruits is Agronomy.

Agronomy is the branch of agriculture which looks after soil management, crop rotation, weed and pest control and the effects of the climate on crops, and therefore plays a critical role in crop growth and food production. With climate change already having a negative impact on crop yields, the rising cost of food and the population continuing to grow, the role that agronomists play within the fresh produce industry is critical.

Greenvale, the UK’s leading potato supplier, currently employs 12 Agronomists across the UK but they are keen to attract more young people into the profession and are actively recruiting and training students in this area of the business through their Apprenticeship and Graduate Development Programmes.

While offering schemes of this kind in the Fresh Produce sector is not common practice, HR Director Andy Ferguson believes that it is one of the best ways to attract younger people into the industry.

“At Greenvale, we believe that a good salary and benefits package whilst training, an opportunity to experience different aspects of the business and the prospect of a position in the company when the programme ends, will help to attract more graduates not only into Greenvale but also into the fresh produce industry as a whole.”

Graduates can also expect their starting salary to rise when they have completed a BASIS Qualification in agronomy, which usually takes between 2 and 4 years to prepare for.

Greenvale Agronomist Case Study

Potato growing is in Ewan Stark’s blood. Having grown up on a mixed arable and livestock farm in Dundee, he had a passion for farming from an early age. “Growing up on a farm, I always knew that I wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps and work in agriculture but he encouraged me and my brother, Gordon who also works at Greenvale, to study something different at university before deciding on a career path. So, I went to the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen and graduated with a degree in Chemistry before deciding to go back into farming as an agronomist, specialising in potatoes.”

After a few years ‘hard graft’ out in the field, Ewan, 34, sat his BASIS Qualification exams and became a fully qualified agronomist. He then spent 6½ years working for a potato pre-pack business before having the opportunity to work abroad for a year.

“In 2007 I went to work as an agronomist for a potato packing business on a sheep and potato farm in New Zealand. Living and working in another country was a brilliant experience for me both personally and professionally. Lots of agronomists have similar opportunities to work overseas and I probably wouldn’t have been able to do it if it wasn’t for my career.”

In 2008 Ewan joined Greenvale as Technical Manager for Greenvale Growing (Duns) before assuming the dual role of Head of Agronomy (Scotland) and Growing Manager at the Duns site in March 2013. Therefore, Ewan now splits his time between the fields, office and making off site visits. “There’s no such thing as an average day for me. In fact, no two days are the same let alone two years! The job is very seasonal. In the summer I spend about 60% of my time in the field and the rest in the office or in store but in the winter the majority of my time is spent in the office or visiting customers.”

Factors such as the weather, pests and disease are constantly changing, so Ewan and his team spend a large proportion of their time reducing the impact these factors have on the crops. “A large part of my job is problem solving. Changes in nature can happen very rapidly and when we are dealing with high value crops, the advice we give producers can literally be the difference between boom and bust. Sometimes I’ll have solved 2 or 3 problems before 9am, so there’s always a new challenge to overcome but for me, that’s what makes the job so enjoyable.”

Like farmers, the harvest season is the busiest time of year for Ewan and his team, when long working days are vital to ensure the potatoes are harvested at their peak. Those busy few weeks are when all the previous months of hard work pay off so, although the days are long and tough, the satisfaction of achieving a high yield of good quality potatoes and knowing you have played an important role in that makes it all worthwhile.”

The number of young people entering agronomy has steadily fallen over the past 15 years and there is now a national shortfall of qualified agronomists. Thanks to initiatives started by Greenvale over the past 8 years, young people are slowly being drawn back into the industry. “When I first started my career I was the youngest person in our agronomy meetings and until recently I was still the youngest! As the older generation are retiring, there just haven’t been youngsters coming into the industry to fill those vacancies. But at Greenvale we’ve been actively encouraging young people into agronomy with the paid apprenticeships and graduate programme and we’ve had quite a few people come up through the ranks in the last few years.”

While many people go into agronomy from an agriculture or scientific background, Ewan believes that there is no one type of person suited to the industry. “The only requirement for a career in agronomy is enthusiasm for the farming industry and a technical mind. Having a background in agriculture or science can help, but it’s really a career that anyone can succeed in, whether they have a degree or come into the industry straight from school. There is excellent career progression and as the technology and science involved in agriculture is always advancing, it’s an incredibly exciting and forward thinking profession to be involved in.”