Scheme to help 25 food graduates

Entrepreneurial food and drink sector graduates are invited to apply for Bord Bia’s €1m scholarship programme in association with the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.

The programme will support 25 high-potential graduates from a range of disciplines, with a minimum of two years’ work experience. This is the fourth year of the overseas placement programme, which has benefited more than 100 Irish food companies.

The MSc International Marketing Practice combines academic learning with a foreign industry placement, and has the potential to generate up to €20m in sales for the companies involved over the next three years.

Bord Bia’s director of markets Michael Murphy said: “This programme offers a fantastic opportunity for enthusiastic, self-motivated graduates to take part in a unique career acceleration programme which could help to position them as future leaders in Ireland’s thriving food and drink industry.”

Under the programme, Irish Dairy Board Ingredients has achieved €650,000 worth of new business thanks to a fellow based in the Spanish market in 2010. By 2012, that figure had grown to €2m.

The closing date for applications to the scholarship programme is Mar 5. For further details, visit smurfitschool.ie/bordbia.