| Education
Groundbreaking bursary for agriculture students
from non-farming families announces first winner
Teenager Alex Neason of the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) has become the first winner of a prestigious new
bursary for students taking farming subjects without a family background in the industry.
he John Innes
Foundation (JIF)
Bursary will
finance one
student per year,
who is aiming to
make a career in primary crop
production, rather than follow an
academic or scientific research
route.
The funding will cover all of 18-
year-old Alex’s course fees at the
RAU in Cirencester and is awarded
on a competitive basis to students
taking a three-year degree course.
Students across six universities
competed for the award, which is
specifically designed to encourage
those from non-farming
backgrounds to apply to
university, regardless of their
financial circumstances.
It comes with mentoring from
agriculture firm Velcourt, as well as
the opportunity to complete
T
summer work experience and to
be considered for the company’s
management training scheme after
graduation.
Keith Norman, Technical
Director of Velcourt, said: “In farm
management, we are dependent
on a good supply of highly
motivated new entrants, so we are
proud to have an integral role in
the bursary. Many students see it
as a challenge to finance their
degree courses and some feel
disadvantaged not being from a
farming background. This bursary
will address these issues on a
competitive basis for one
undergraduate each year.”
Alex, from Wellington, Somerset
is studying Agriculture with
Applied Farm Management at RAU
and hopes to make farm
management his profession. He is
interested in working
internationally and wants to gain
40 | Farming Monthly | April 2018
as much experience as possible in
every area of the industry.
He said: “This scholarship
proves you don’t necessarily need
to come from a farming
background or have a family farm
to be successful in the industry.
With rising populations putting
increasing stress on the UK food
produce industry, we are going to
need not just more people, but
more highly skilled people,
working within agriculture to keep
up with such demands.
“Not only does the backing
from JIF and Velcourt come with
clear benefits, the significance of
the financial support they are
providing can’t be overlooked. It
allows me to focus on my degree
and put a greater proportion of my
time and energy into my work
within agriculture. I’m incredibly
excited about my future and
delighted to be the first ever
recipient of this amazing
scholarship.”
Peter Innes, Trustee of the John
Innes Foundation, said: “The John
Innes Foundation, which for more
than a hundred years has provided
support for some of the country's
foremost plant scientists, is
delighted to be extending its remit
into practical farming by funding
this new bursary. In Alex I'm
confident we've found an
exceptional candidate and we're
very grateful to Velcourt for the
part they are playing.”
As well as entering students for
external awards such as the John
Innes Foundation, RAU offers a
range of scholarships and support
packages including the Core
Bursary for students from lower
income families and the Widening
Access Financial Support Bursary
for those living in areas with lower
progression rates to university.
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