If you were like me and couldn’t decide between a masters, a graduate programme or travelling and if you love food and want to make a career out of it. The Bord Bia International Graduate programme is perfect for you! Here’s some background on the programme and the questions I’m asked frequently.
My name is Conor Kirwan. I’m currently living in sunny & sandy Dubai. Why you might ask? I’m currently on Bord Bia’s International Graduate programme based in their Middle East Office. Before I joined the programme I was a student of Maynooth University studying Business and Management. As part of my undergraduate degree, I undertook a years internship in Bord Bia’s Dublin office and this is where my love for the Irish Food industry began! I learned so much about the Irish Food industry, I decided to come back!
What is Bord Bia and what do they do ? You wouldn’t be the first person to answer this question and you won’t be the last! I asked myself this very question before I applied to Bord Bia.
Bord Bia, The Irish Food Board is the government state agency responsible for the promotion of Irish Food and Drink abroad. It has an extensive network International offices with 15 scattered across the Globe. Bord Bia has offices in Amsterdam, Dubai, Dusseldorf, Lagos, London, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, New York, Paris, Shanghai, Stockholm, Singapore & Warsaw with its headquarters based in Dublin.
Bord Bia’s vision is “customers around the globe recognise that Irish food and drink is world class; that it is high quality, distinctive and made by a diverse range of creative producers from unique and fortuitous island location. In order to achieve this mission, Bord Bia has a strategic pillar of leading through people and within this pillar is It’s talent academy in which it has 4 programmes with UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School – International Graduates, Marketing Fellows, Origin Green Ambassadors & Retail & Supply Chain placements.
The Bord Bia International Graduate Programme is a 23 month programme that provides graduates with the opportunity to gain invaluable experience in the Irish Food industry while working towards a Master’s of Science in Global Business Practice with academic block release every six months for module lectures. Graduates are based in either Bord Bia’s Head Office or across its network of international offices. All tuition fees are paid and each graduate receives a bursary towards their living expenses in each market. Fluency in an international language is required for some markets but not all and the programme is open to graduates of all disciplines. On the programme, 17 graduates are based in Dublin across a number of departments with another 15 graduates based overseas.
Like many people finishing their undergraduate degree, I was unsure of what path I wanted to take. Did I want to start a masters straight after my degree? Did I want to do a graduate programme or did I want to travel? Luckily I was aware of the Bord Bia International Graduate programme which provided the opportunity of all 3! The programme also provides me with a foundation in which I can start my career within the food industry while also providing me with the opportunity for professional development and outstanding career prospects once I’ve finished and a postgraduate masters qualification.
The application process was straightforward and consisted of 4 steps:
It’s an amazing opportunity to live and work in Dubai! The lifestyle here is a stark contrast to the life I was used to in Dublin. To start, the working week here in Dubai is from Sunday to Thursday with Friday and Saturday as the weekend. I’m currently over six months into the programme and will still think I’m in work on a Friday! Our office covers all of the Middle East markets, giving me the opportunity to learn about a number of the markets and how they differ greatly from each other. It also provides the opportunity for travel to a number of different countries. Living in Dubai is so convenient with the possibility of getting everything delivered to your house, from groceries to medicine and even dry cleaning! With nice warm weather throughout most of the year, the novelty of coming home from work and heading to the pool for a swim hasn’t worn off just yet! It’s not all sunshine here as it can rain often due to cloud-seeding (the process of adding chemicals to clouds to form rain) and with a lack of drainage in the city, there tends to be a number of floods. Dubai can be challenging at times too, between the strict rules during Ramadan to the summer temperatures reaching the high 40’s! While you complete module lectures during academic block release, graduates are also required to complete assignments during their time in market which can be difficult to balance with working full time, however it offers graduates a learning opportunity in balancing a number of different aspects in life.
There is currently three people on the team here in the Middle East Office, The Regional Director, the Market Specialist and myself. As the office covers all of the markets within the Middle East and with three on the team, it gives me the opportunity to be involved in numerous projects across a number of sectors. Each week the role varies greatly. Just last month, I spent five days representing Bord Bia at Gulfood, one of the worlds leading food and beverage trade shows here in Dubai with 11 Irish Meat and Dairy companies exhibiting across 2 pavilions. On Saturday in the same week, I then spent a day at a consumer cheese event, sampling a number of Irish Cheddar and Farmhouse cheeses to residents of Dubai. I’ve had the opportunity to travel while on the programme, with a trip to Qatar to gain a better understanding of the market and to identify opportunities for Irish Food and Drink suppliers in the market. The great thing about the International Graduate programme is that while you are a graduate, you’re not treated like one. Once you’ve settled into your new role, you’re given responsibility for your own projects. For example, as part of the programme, I’ve been given the opportunity to manage the introduction of a new service for Irish food and drink suppliers currently exporting to the UAE.
Ultimately the best thing about the programme is:
The opportunity to work towards a masters qualification complementing your experiential learning on the programme will set you apart from others when looking for future career opportunities.
The opportunity to work towards a masters qualification complementing your experiential learning on the programme will set you apart from others when looking for future career opportunities.
Providing you with the opportunity to build your reputation and establish yourself within the industry, while also giving you the opportunity to make connections within the industry, giving you a stepping stone towards future career opportunities.
If you've any questions that are not covered above, please feel free to contact me on LinkedIn
If you're interested in learning more about Bord Bia’s International Graduate programme or any of the other programmes in Bord Bia’s Talent academy, please visit the website here
You can also keep up to date on the programme by checking Bord Bia Smurfit's Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn