BSc (Hons) Commercial Horticulture
“There were opportunities to excel in other related areas, such as the Thanet Earth Discovery Fellowship, which I was very proud to be chosen for, and subsequently completed in 2016”.
Nathaniel Oliver - Technical Manager, AMT Fruit
There were a number of links to industry and local industry groups, and lecturers were both experienced within industry and within lecturing.
There were opportunities to excel in other related areas, such as the Thanet Earth Discovery Fellowship, which I was very proud to be chosen for, and subsequently completed, in 2016.
My cohort were fortunate enough to have an amazing study trip to Iceland to see the way they grow sustainable glasshouse crops using geothermal energy, including tomatoes and herbs. We also visited their university and saw their methods of deriving biofuel from bananas and algae.
I joined a prepped fruit company in 2017 as a junior technologist in the raw material department. I was focused on compliance, but started learning a lot about the industry and the technical side. Following this, I moved to managing the Intake QC department in 2018 and spent one year managing the team. In 2019, I again moved within the company to manage all of the raw material compliance and carry out internal audits.
I recently moved to a new company as a Technical Manager where I audit packhouses in various different countries to ensure they are compliant with the retailer's standards - so I get to travel extensively for work as well. Both the course and the experience I gained working while studying at Hadlow were important factors in securing the job I currently have.
My advice to others seeking a similar career is get as much experience as you can while you are studying. An excellent understanding of how crops are grown and experience of that is very beneficial.