Did you know we’re passionate about growing more than just great produce? We’re also committed to helping grow the next generation of talent too.
As part of our ongoing partnership with Broadland High Ormiston Academy, we recently welcomed six Year 8 students to our Norfolk farm after they reached the final of a creative social media competition, designed to help showcase careers in agriculture.
Earlier this year, the students were challenged to create an Instagram post encouraging people to consider a career at Place UK. The aim of the competition was to get young people thinking differently about modern farming and the wide variety of opportunities available to them across the agri-food sector.
The finalists were invited to our Tunstead site, where they presented their ideas to some of our management team before enjoying a behind-the-scenes tour of the farm. From our fruit-growing operations to our state-of-the-art polytunnels, they discovered how technology, data and robotics are helping us to produce high-quality produce on a commercial scale.
After some tough deliberation, Mia was chosen as the overall winner. Her design stood out for its engaging message and the way it highlighted Place UK’s supportive and caring working environment.
Matt Smith, Co-Managing Director at Place UK, said:
“The agri-food and agri-tech sector is a pillar of the local economy, and as one of the UK’s leading growers, helping Norfolk-grown produce reach kitchens across the country, we’re passionate about showcasing the fantastic opportunities this industry has to offer young people, who are in their early stages of growing their careers. With developing technologies, such as AI and advancing robotics, we work in a fast-changing and evolving sector, which can only benefit from an injection of energy, fresh perspectives and new ideas from tomorrow’s young minds.
“We were incredibly impressed by the creativity and thought that went into every entry. Mia’s design particularly stood out because of its strong visual impact and the way it communicated what it’s like to work at Place UK.
“We hope the visit gave all of the finalists a real insight into modern farming and gave them some ideas and inspiration about the many rewarding career paths our industry has to offer.”
The social media competition is just one part of our growing partnership with Broadland High, with Place UK soon to become an Enterprise Employer through the Norfolk and Suffolk Careers Hub.
This initiative connects businesses with schools to help students understand the world of work through real-life experiences. As an Enterprise Employer, we’ll be supporting careers education by offering workplace experiences for students and helping teachers better understand the opportunities available within agriculture and food production.
Today’s agri-food and agri-tech sector offers roles in everything, from crop production and engineering to food manufacturing, technology, logistics, quality, marketing and sustainability. By striking up partnerships with schools and students, we hope to inspire more young people to get into horticulture and agriculture, while helping build up a skilled workforce our industry and the UK needs for the future of food security
We’re looking forward to continuing our partnership with Broadland High and welcoming more students to Place UK in the months and years ahead.
