As one would expect, after an arduous three years studying Irish for my undergraduate degree, employers were flocking to me like moths to a flame. In school, I was one of the few that advocated the importance of this beautiful language and when frantically filling out my CAO form, at the last minute of course, my dart landed on becoming a teacher. So off I went to study Irish and Music in St. Patrick’s College. However, with being a teacher, came the sudden realisation that I’d be interacting with children on a daily basis and raise your hand if you’ve ever felt personally victimised by a child.
So, with a degree in my hand, no ideas in my head and a pit in my stomach, I wondered where on earth I’d go from here. Taking a year out after graduating, I desperately searched for a new path reading up on any and every option that may have been possible. I loathed the idea of another Bachelor’s degree but questioned my capability of conducting a Master’s in a field I had little to no experience in.
During my year of panic and uncertainty I came across UCD Smurfit’s International Graduate Programme with Bord Bia and immediately I took notice. A Master’s, a scholarship and industry experience with Bord Bia, a well renowned Irish state agency tasked with the promotion of Irish Food & Drink both here and abroad, my interest was of course piqued. However, the qualification that was on offer was an MSc in Global Business Practice. Business, a subject I had abandoned after the Junior Cert and in UCD Smurfit, Ireland's leading business school. Would my application even be accepted, never mind read?
Well, nine months into the programme and I suppose I can assume it wasn’t torn to shreds (that or there was an unfortunate mix-up with applications and they’ve just been too nice to inform me otherwise!) So, with my experience in mind, I would like to explain precisely what makes this programme the fantastic opportunity that it is and outline why it is not exclusively just for those with backgrounds in Business or Marketing.
Programme Background & Structure:
The programme is one of four of Bord Bia’s Talent Academy programmes with UCD Smurfit and is 23 months long in duration. It entails both time in college and work placement. A total of eight modules are covered throughout this period, the eighth and final involving an individual project. The preceding seven are a broad range of modules delivered respectively in a single week of lectures. This, if you have done the math in your head, equates to roughly 2 months of college during this period. The remaining 21 months or so you are working full time in one of Bord Bia’s offices either here in Dublin or abroad. College block releases occur in installments of two weeks, covering 2 modules per release with roughly a 6 month interval between each release. For example, the first two modules are completed during your initiation in July. You return to college in January for modules 3 & 4 and so on. There are 31 of us in my cycle, 16 based here in Dublin and 15 in overseas offices.
Why this programme?
At this point I would hazard a guess at your immediate thoughts. “A module in a week? I could hardly manage one in 12 during my Undergrad!” To put your mind at ease, the lectures that are delivered in Smurfit are by lecturers of the highest caliber, something I can confidently state being an Undergraduate of Irish who has yet to drop out yet (touch wood). Additionally, the grading of all modules are based solely on in class participation/presentations and assignments. You will not encounter a single exam.
However, your time spent in the classroom is a minor element in the overall scheme of the programme. As already mentioned, the majority of your time will be spent working in Bord Bia. This facilitates on the job, industry experience that will prove invaluable to you. That age old saying ‘you learn while doing’ is indeed true. A typical masters will provide you with the qualifications but will render you with little to no time to gather any significant experience, or income for that matter. It is this exact experience that employers place such a huge importance on in this day and age.
Not only will you receive a scholarship but also a very reasonable bursary which allows a healthy standard of living. Holistically, this programme grants you everything you need. The qualifications, the experience and a means to support yourself which, when you’ve gotten that piece of paper, really gives you a head start. This on the job learning is almost tailored for those of us without a background in business and really gives you the opportunity to get stuck in and discover first-hand what really matters out there in the real world. The induction period in July/August when commencing allows you to first find your feet in an understandably frightening situation. However, once you have settled into your new environment, it provides the space to explore and apply learnings from the classroom in a very real setting, amplifying your overall education.
Another significant USP of the programme is the prospect of travel. With 14 offices overseas, some of which include London, Madrid, Milan, Berlin and Shanghai, comes the potential to live and work abroad for the guts of the 23 months. Of course, flights and accommodation are paid for with graduates returning for college and holiday periods. This offers the travel bug the chance to experience new places all the while continuing your study. Furthermore, travel is not exclusive to the graduates overseas. In my experience so far as a graduate based in Dublin, I have travelled to London twice for work, a place would you believe, I had not been prior. With the likes of trade fairs and trade missions, the opportunities to travel are frequent and exciting. For students or recent graduates who have a proficiency in a foreign language or simply those that desire to travel, this programme should prove particularly attractive.
My Role in Bord Bia:
I have been placed on the Brand Development Team here in The Thinking House in Bord Bia’s office in Dublin. My team assists client companies with anything brand related, be that their brand proposition, their brand guidelines, their visual identity, digital media, PR, In-store activation and much more. I have been fortunate enough to be involved in a number of projects working with a variety of different client companies. I have gotten to see new brands arise and existing brands flourish. Some of the most recent projects which I have been involved in include Flahavan’s new website, see here, created by Neworld agency which was launched in February (see screenshots of old site below) and facilitating a brand refresh workshop with Valeo Foods and their brand Chef to attract more customers.
I personally spend most of my time working on Bord Bia’s Brand Forum. The Brand Forum is Ireland’s leading community for marketing practitioners seeking to deepen their marketing skills and grow their food and drink brands. It’s an efficient and inspiring way for its members to sharpen their marketing execution, as it is fully centred on the brand issues they will encounter in the marketplace and draws on world-class expertise to show how best practice marketing can help grow their brands. This is all delivered through quarterly best practice events and regular practitioners’ workshops addressed by carefully selected speakers and facilitators. The Brand Forum also offers its members additional services such as an annual Brand Health Check and a Recipe Video service. My days are usually taken up by the organisation of such events and workshops, securing speakers, inviting attendees and ensuring the overall success of everything it has to offer. Our most recent Brand Forum event took place in February and featured speakers from Dentsu Aegis, Tony’s Chocolonely and Unilever.
Shot by Marc O’Sullivan at the Bord Bia Brand Forum Event, Tuesday 11th Feb 2020
Before starting my position here in Bord Bia I doubt I would have been able to tell you a single thing about successful branding or marketing. But it is through my constant engagement with a wealth of Irish food and drink brands that I am progressing my knowledge. I find with each passing workshop I am involved in I am able to contribute that much more to the session and that for me is my benchmark for success.
Finally, I would be doing the programme an injustice if I were to neglect to mention the social aspect. With there being only 31 of us in the cohort, the group has little choice but to warm to each other. Albeit clichéd, with such a small and close-knit group comes the blossoming of some true friendships. I was rather surprised myself at how rapidly the group bonded, this includes even the graduates based overseas who the rest of us would only see when college rolls around again, and it certainly wasn’t long for the first night out to take place. I suppose nothing breaks the ice more than a conversation over a pint of plain.
It’s funny how things go full circle, This time last year I was attending a Grad Ireland fair learning about this very programme and now, a year later, being tasked with promoting the very same to people I believed were way more qualified to participate in it than I am.
However, all jokes aside, I wholeheartedly believe this programme is suitable for any and all graduates who are dedicated, diligent and have a passion for the Food & Drink industry. Once these criteria are met you are most certainly eligible. I am not disregarding the benefits of studying Business or Marketing prior to applying or having an additional language that may prove useful in an oversea office but I am testifying that the talent of the individual themselves prevails over the words scribbled on your degree. Nevertheless, the single most important nugget of advice I will give to you before applying is demonstrating the passion you have for the industry throughout the application phase. Have knowledge on the industry and research/keep up to date with relevant affairs and issues. Understand the role of Bord Bia and what it’s goals are, all of this can be easily found on their website. This is exceptionally important for those of you, who like me, are coming from a foreign field of study. You must illustrate this passion clearly throughout the interview stages and being familiar with all of this helps do exactly that.
The next graduate uptake will be for July 2021 so keep an eye on Bord Bia Smurfit's Facebook and Instagram for applications and I urge all who are hesitant to apply based on their undergraduate degree to reconsider and apply in spite of fear. I did so and I am better off because of it.
