Dairygold is just one exhibitor at the Irish Farmers Journal and open air Agri Careers Fair (which takes place in the RDS on 3 March - register for free here to attend the event) and there’s no doubting its significant role as an employer in the agri sector.

In 2015, Dairygold filled around 170 roles, which included more than 20 graduate positions and 33 student co-op placements.

Vacancies available in the company right now include, financial accountant in Mitchelstown, data analytics manager in Mallow, a warehouse manager in Mitchelstown and a production shift manager in Crewe in the UK, while two retail sales assistants are required in Mallow. The co-op will be recruiting to fill more roles in 2016, not least for its graduate programme.

The co-op, which has a turnover of around €850 million, employs 1,150 people.

Dairygold Food Ingredients (DFI), the Society’s dairy business, is Ireland’s second-largest milk processor. Dairygold Food Ingredients converts 1.15 billion litres of milk annually (this equates to 20% of the Irish national milk pool) into products focusing on the core areas: dairy essentials, cheese solutions and consumer foods.

DFI is also a leading supplier to the Irish infant milk sector, which supplies 16% of the world’s requirements. Dairygold is Ireland’s second largest agri-trader, combining grain-intake, milling feed, fertiliser and farm requisite sale, while Dairygold’s retail business operates across 39 co-op stores in Munster.

Graduate Programme

Dairygold’s Graduate Development Programme is designed to provide a platform for graduates to development into management and leadership roles within the business.

The number of graduates taken on every year depends on what is required in the business.

Overall, Dairygold has employed 60 graduates over the last four years. Applications open online towards the end of August and close in early October. (All details are available on the Dairygold website under the careers section.)

Graduates enter the business on a three-year fixed-term contract and get the opportunity to rotate two to three times into different areas of the business, while remaining in the original function they were recruited for.

These functions include retail/area sales; finance and purchasing; products/process development; commercial; production/operations; quality control/quality assurance; process/project engineering; technical, R&D/innovation and supply chain management.

Rotations are linked to the graduate’s academic discipline and may involve a rotation to an international market or site location.

A core element of the Dairygold graduate development programme is its two year Diploma in Management. This diploma is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute and is formally recognised as a Level 6 qualification on the NFQ.

Finance

Finance graduates are given the opportunity to complete exams with the professional body of their choice – such as ACCA, ACA, or CIMA.

Membership fees, subscription fees, exam fees, materials, etc, are fully covered by Dairygold, while those completing exams are given time off to study.

Personal development is a key focus of the graduate programme and includes access to psychometric tools, a tailored personal development plan, one-to-one coaching sessions, a mentor programme and a buddy system, among other features.

Dairygold also takes on co-op students each year and will be going out to various colleges in September looking to fill these roles.

If you are interested in a career in the agri-industry, come along to the Farmers Journal and open eir Agri Careers Fair, which takes place in the RDS on 3 March 2016. For more information, click here.