Animal Management and Horticulture students learn all things land-based

Animal Management and Horticulture students have been hearing from a range of guest speakers as part of Land-Based Industry Week.

Throughout the week, over 25 sessions took place where students had the opportunity to listen to professionals from local and national businesses within the land-based industry allowing students to explore the variety of exciting careers available to them after finishing their studies.

The first session saw Horticulture students taking part in a practical session delivered by TWIGGS Ground Maintenance LTD. The students helped clean and tidy Churchfields Peace Gardens whilst learning more about the important work TWIGGS is doing in the community and the volunteering opportunities available.

Jimmi Hill, Conservationist in bird of prey research and education for Raptor Aid charity, kicked off the week with an inspirational talk. He talked about birds of prey enclosures and housekeeping and explained their behaviours and how you can identify their mood from simply looking at their face.

Alice Gylee-Evans from Cats Protection delivered an informative session where students were taken through the various aspects of cat welfare including homing and neutering. Alice also shared with the students the various job roles available at Cats Protection and how to work in the animal welfare industry.

Students also heard from Matthew Shackleton, a Veterinary Physiotherapist, who shared his journey in education, his role as a Veterinary Physiotherapist and the careers available within the industry. Matthew went into detail about the practices he uses, the animals he works with, the legislation coming in to play and gave an insight into what he does on a day-to-day basis.

Karin Reynolds, Education Service Co-ordinator at Animal Aid, delivered an educational workshop around animal rights, joined by Mark White, Head of Education at Animal Aid; Andre Menache, Animal Experiments Consultant; and Dene Stanstall, Racing Horse Consultant. They shared their thought-provoking journey about the fur trade, hunting, over farming, horse racing, raising awareness and animal testing.

The week ended with an interesting session by Dr Tijana Blanusa from the Royal Horticultural Society who discussed climate change, environmental issues, plants in the garden and how we can make the most of our gardens. She also talked about her career and what she does along with providing students with information about further education within the Royal Horticultural Society.

Over the course of the week, students heard from other speakers from a range of professional backgrounds. This included The Yorkshire Wildlife Park; Chester Zoo; Faye Durkin, Head of Ecology and Regional Manager at Ecus; Anna Baggott, Education Lead at PDSA; Julian Mayston, Visitor Experience Manager at RSPB Old Moor nature reserve; Helen Spicer, Education Officer at Blue Cross; Dianna Radford, Chief Executive and Hayley Crookes, Animal Care Leader at RSPCA Sheffield; Sharon Sutton, Project Manager at Cannon Hall; Ed Matthews, Policy Lead at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; and Rita Howson, Chief Executive at Support Dogs Sheffield.

The sessions were organised by Julia Davies, Talent United and Enterprise Officer at Barnsley College. Julia said: “We had a busy week with lots of inspirational guests. We enjoyed welcoming speakers from across the UK, giving students some genuine insight into a variety of careers within the sector.

“The College continues to transform lives and help students to fulfil their full potential by providing them with an outstanding experience and I would like to thank all the guest speakers for taking the time to speak to our students, I’m already looking forward to next year’s event.”