Last call for employer spots at WIT Science Careers Day

Graham Fallon, Dublin and David O'Neill, Wexford, both students of the Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) BSc in Horticulture with Jennifer Byrne of Organics Trust. Photo: Patrick Browne.

The Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) Department of Science Careers Day will take place on February 28, with final-year students of land sciences and lab sciences, and industry alike, utilising the opportunity to connect and network.

Careers

29 January 2020

On February 28, from 9am to 1pm, the Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) Department of Science Careers Day will take place with final-year students of the land sciences: horticulture, agriculture, forestry, and agricultural science; and the lab sciences: pharmaceutical science, physics, molecular biology and bio-pharmaceutical science, and food science, gathering to meet employers in the region, and possibly, as was the case in previous years, secure their first job after college with some of the exhibitors attending.

A list of employers who have already confirmed their attendance at the event can be found here and include MSD Clonmel, West Pharma, and Source Biosciences from the lab science contingent, and Grassland Agro, Agri-Lloyd, Veon Ltd, and Iverk Produce from the agriculture, horticulture, and forestry sectors.

Hartley People, Matrix Recruitment, and Sigmar Recruitment are just three of numerous recruitment companies who have already booked their places.

There are a few employer spaces still remaining and interested parties are encouraged to contact Dr Tony Woodcock on 051-302623 or by emailing twoodcock@wit.ie.

This year the Science Careers Day committee are pleased to welcome sponsorship from Uniplumo, MSD Ballydine, Irish Forestry Unit Trust, ENGAGE Education, Eurofins, and many more. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available.

On the day

The majority of the careers day will involve a networking event where employers will meet students to discuss career options. Each employer attending will receive a Careers Day Graduate Handbook containing information on approximately 300 students, including a short biography and contact details. These final year students will be available to take up full-time positions in June 2020, making it a timely event for employers to attend.

“The WIT Department of Science Careers Day is a fantastic networking opportunity for our students, enabling them to directly engage with representatives from industry often for the first time. Both students and employers really enjoy these exchanges, and many valuable contacts are made.”, said Dr Kathleen Grennan, WIT pharmaceutical programme leader.

Dr Grennan continued: “The speakers giving talks at the event really give the student a flavour of the wide variety of options that are open to them when they graduate with a science degree, from lab science to entrepreneurship, to teaching. Our students find the advice and stories shared in these talks invaluable in helping guide them on their path to a rewarding career in science.”

John Molloy, dairy product manager at Agri-Lloyd, said: “At Agri-Lloyd, we have built the backbone of our new area sales managers (ASM) (dairy and beef team) from WIT students following previous career days.

“The farming landscape is moving at a fast pace and as an employer, we feel WIT students offer the practical and technical knowledge to our ASM team, putting farmers in a strong position to exploit growth opportunities”.

Annual award

2019 saw the inaugural presentation of an annual award which recognises a person who has made a particularly valuable contribution to science in the region. Last year, it was fitting that the late Una McDermott (former WIT horticulture programme leader) was recognised and the award was named in her honour.

This year, the Una McDermott Award for Contribution to Science will be made to the family of Dr Matteo Sottocornola, much-missed WIT forestry lecturer who passed away in August 2019.

Tom Kent, of forestry WIT, said that the sudden and tragic loss of our colleague Matteo hit forestry staff and students particularly hard. “He is sorely missed for his passion for student learning, his thoughtfulness, and his consistently cheerful disposition. It will be very welcome to celebrate Matteo’s contribution to science education and research on the day.”, he said.