This year, NFU expertise helped Harper Adams University student Niamh McGrath investigate the use of social media as a recruitment tool for UK farm-level recruitment.
Niamh grew up on a dairy farm in Cheshire and studies Agri-Food Marketing with Business. While on her Harper Adams university placement, she began to take an interest in farm level recruitment when her business was struggling to find new employees.
The main objective of her research was to ask why people are using social media as a recruitment tool and the impact it is having in UK agriculture.
Key contacts
By winning the NFU dissertation sponsorship, Niamh had access to the vast array of stakeholder contacts the NFU holds from across the agri-food supply chain.
This proved instrumental by providing Niamh with all the key information she needed for her dissertation.
Forging future careers
When asked about the opportunity, Niamh said: “I am grateful to the NFU for their sponsorship due to the industry insight they could provide and the interesting conversations that were able to be generated.
“This helped to build my research approach and reach a wide range of agricultural audiences.
“My aim for my dissertation was to give industry recommendations that were able to be implemented across the industry. I am proud to say I have achieved my goal for the dissertation along with receiving a first class honours degree.
“I am thankful to all the participants of my research for their time and invaluable knowledge. I would recommend this opportunity to any future students.”
How can you apply for the NFU’s dissertation sponsorship award?
The NFU would like to sponsor you if your dissertation is linked to any of the following topics:
- British food retailers
- hospitality and public sector supply chain
- UK food brands, manufacturers, or processors
- the sustainable supply chain, or
- supply chain collaboration or engagement.
If successful, like Niamh, you will receive £150, and gain access to a range of industry contacts.
Read more on the application process and who can apply.
You can also email [email protected] for more information.
