More than 1500 people will descend on Harper Adams University on July 5 for the organisation’s annual open day, including many potential students drawn to the Shropshire centre by the introduction of a suite of new food business courses.
Harper Adams, which already offers a pig industry scholarship in partnership with NPA and AHDB Pork, is adding several new food study options to its 2016 programme. These include courses on food and public health nutrition, food business innovation and entrepreneurship, food production and marketing, food sustainability and management, food technology and product development, and food technology with nutrition.
“Despite common misconceptions, food science and technology is not about cooking and catering,” commented the university’s head of the food science, Professor Ralph Early.
“Right across the UK’s food supply industry, there is a shortage of suitably qualified and experienced graduates with a technical understanding of food. At Harper Adams, however, our food courses aim at developing multi-skilled graduates with the abilities to move ahead with the industry in a range of exciting and rewarding careers.”
The open day is being billed as the university’s “biggest yet”, highlighting the level of interest in the new courses on offer.
The July 5 programme runs from 9.30am and 4pm, followed by the start of a two-day residential taster course for 200-plus 16 and 17 year-olds, to allow them to see what is involved in the “Harper Adams Experience”.
Headline image shows potential students gathered for a previous Harper Adams Experience