Harper Adams

All courses at Harper Adams include some element of agriculture and 500 students graduate each September. According to the college, 96.8% of them have a job within six months of graduating.

But increasing numbers delay taking on a permanent job until they have completed harvest or summer work. Some 20-35 final year students decide to travel each year following graduation with a high percentage of male students remaining abroad, says Harper Adams’ deputy press officer Emma Stanley.

Where do students end up? Most either return home to work on the family farm or move into the industry. Most straight agricultural students tend to go home while those studying agriculture with crops or farm business management are more likely to go into ancillary companies after graduation, she adds.

But perhaps the key to such a high employment figure is the fact that Harper offers a placement period and just under 50% of students return to that placement upon graduation.

This commitment to helping secure the right student for the right career path is aided by working closely with recruitment agencies. Harper’s own career department also offers help in the form of individual guidance on interviews, CV writing techniques, filling in applications and providing covering letters.