Our world is your world. Careers in land-based industries.

Work placement - a great opportunity

All of our degree courses include a work placement period of at least one year, when you will work in a job of your choice in the UK or overseas. This on-the-job training gives our students the technical, interpersonal and business skills that employers are looking for. It is a great addition to your CV, and in most cases you'll be paid too!

Every subject area has its own placement manager who will help you to find the right job - either from the many advertised on our placement website or with an employer you have found yourself.

Five minutes with... Terry Pickthall, placement manager for Agriculture courses

So many opportunities

"Placement offers you the chance to experience the diverse opportunities on offer in UK agriculture and its associated ancillary industries. Many parts of the industry have bucked the trends seen elsewhere in the tough global economic conditions and are thriving, despite also having to cope with challenging weather. It is a great time to consider a career in agriculture and a 52-week Harper Adams placement on your CV is a great passport to embarking on it.

Placement employers

"Placement employers cover the entire industry spectrum - from small family dairy and arable farms to multi-national agrochemical companies and feed manufacturers. Provided your employer is suitably impartial to assess your performance, you have the option to go almost anywhere and do almost anything on your placement, provided it is relevant to your course (though students are required to work outside of their home farming area).

Finding a placement

"Whilst some students source their own placement, most make use of our extensive list of placement employers, many of whom have worked with us for a number of years. Our reputation opens doors to some of the very best opportunities on offer - in all areas of the industry. More than 20 leading companies also work with us to offer a scholarship alongside placement, which offers financial support towards your studies and the potential of a graduate job on completion of your studies.

"In 2013/14 we successfully placed 170 Agriculture students and even had to turn some new employers away, so there is a range of opportunities. Whilst the majority of students undertake placement in the UK, we actively encourage placement overseas and this year have more than 20 students working in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada and Eastern Europe. We take great care to ensure our placements are suitable and can offer local support, so overseas farm placements are usually sourced through one of our approved agents where possible, who have an office in the country of choice."

"My experience on placement with McDonald's will give me an understanding of the whole agricultural supply chain, from growing and rearing produce on the farm to serving food to customers. They are skills I wouldn't otherwise get a chance to learn, but I think they are really important for anyone going into farming."

Christina Ford, BSc (Hons) Bioveterinary Science