News

RAU Alumni Lectures – Career Advice from MDS Chair

Despite the busy changeover period, MDS Trainees are continuing to demonstrate an enthusiastic can-do attitude! This month, group 48 Trainee Max Pitman took part in the exciting RAU 175 Alumni virtual Lecture event alongside MDS Chair Christine Tacon.

The Alumni Lecture series celebrates the university’s 175th anniversary and feature expert leaders from across the industry. Christine sat down with Max via the live webinar to discuss her fascinating career background, covering a portfolio of commercial expertise. Christine and Max had plenty of advice for young people interested in starting a food and fresh produce career.

Find a Mentor

Christine’s main advice for people starting a career in food and fresh produce? Finding a mentor.

“One of the things I advise people quite early on in their career now is to try and get themselves a mentor. Someone you pick up along your career that has an interest in helping you. If you identify somebody that is like that, cling on to them and ask them for advice as you go through your career.”

According to Christine, MDS opens Trainees up to a vast network of industry professionals who are willing to help them.

“There are around 22 Trainees starting with you and another 60 Trainees that are there to try and help you. There’s an Alumni network of around 500 people across the industry.”

Extensive Career Portfolio

Christine reflected on her extensive career that spans Vodafone, Mars, Cooperative Farms, her role as the first-ever Grocer Code Adjudicator (GCA), and, for the last five years, Chair of MDS.

“I think I could say in many ways actually that my career was a series of successes or sequence of failures. When I look back, the most enduring impact I had in my career has always been on people. Helping people achieve what they thought they couldn’t.”

MDS Graduate Scheme

Christine highlighted how the MDS graduate scheme is the perfect career step for “can-do” individuals who love a challenge.

“MDS Trainees are thrown more than they think they can handle, but their can-do attitude means they’re not easily fazed. There may be some placements they don’t enjoy, but they will get through it. The most common feedback is that they learn the most about themselves in the toughest six months.”

Trainees

Max, who is currently going into his 2^nd secondment, said the MDS programme has been the most extraordinary experience, particularly in a year dominated by lockdown: 

“The immersion I had was unbelievable. You join a company for six months and you have to make an impact. It’s full speed from day one! I was fortunate to be in the office every day, but some Trainees have never actually been to the office. I think if we can make it through this, normal life will seem relatively easy.”

“The support from MDS and Finsbury has been excellent. The way the Trainees club together and support each other is amazing.” 

Thank you RAU

Max found the virtual event very insightful. “I enjoyed the webinar! It was the first time I had done anything like that, so it was a very new experience. Christine answered every question brilliantly, and we had a very insightful discussion.”

Christine Tacon also enjoyed being part of the event.

“I was honoured to be asked to be part of the event. MDS has recruited a number of graduates from RAU, and I was pleased that Max was prepared to ask the questions. There were some very thought-provoking questions. I hope that the RAU students found it useful.”

Record numbers of Trainees taking on permanent roles with Member companies

It’s that time of year again that we say a bitter-sweet farewell to yet another MDS Trainee cohort. By the end of April, 13 Trainees will be leaving us and we are happy to say that all of them have been offered full-time roles, with 9 Trainees having accepted positions with Member companies. We also have 2 Trainees who have extended their contracts with MDS, to continue their development, which has been made possible due to the high level of secondment requests this year. We are delighted with the number of Trainees taking on roles with member companies, and the high number of permanent role offers is exceptional given the effects the last year has had on employment rates and job openings. Member companies that have taken on Trainees into full-time roles include Syngenta, Aldi, Angus Soft Fruit, Finsbury foods, Fyffes, Protolan, and DPS.

We are very proud of what Group 45 has achieved during their time with MDS. All the Trainees have completed their L5 Apprenticeship in Leadership and Management and we are currently awaiting their results. They have all made a lasting impression and we will be watching their career progress with interest.

Cobrey Farms: Utilising Trainees for the Easter Peak

“It’s good for us to have young, intelligent people asking us questions and challenging our thinking,” says Catherine Chinn, HR Director of family fruit and vegetable business, Cobrey Farms in south Herefordshire.  

For the 12th year, the UK’s largest asparagus grower, Cobrey Farms has appointed two MDS Trainees to join its management team to see them through its harvest months.  

This starts with rhubarb and asparagus in March, through to sugar snap peas, French beans, tenderstem broccoli and blueberries ending in September.  

“We need smart, motivated people to embrace the role for a challenging and extremely busy six months,” says Catherine. “We don’t have the capacity within the permanent staff to take on these roles, and MDS Trainees are ideal. They’ve been through a strenuous selection process before they get to us so we know the calibre is up there, and MDS is brilliant at knowing the type of person that we want and need. The roles are not project-based, from day one they are part of the management team, attending management meetings, taking on hefty responsibility and making planning decisions. We are all busy, and we all have to get on with it.” 

Cobrey Farms

Established in 1925, Cobrey Farms is a Chinn family partnership farming 1,000 hectares in Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire and Suffolk. The business invests heavily in the research and development of new crops, varieties and growing techniques. John Chinn  is a passionate scientist, and Cobrey Farms is at the forefront of innovation and season extension for traditional UK produce, growing in both tunnels and open fields. His two sons, Henry and Chris manage the production, and packhouse and marketing respectively, selling to major retailers and wholesale.  

Secondments

The two MDS Trainee roles – Packhouse Assistant and Trials Officer – support the small core permanent team of 35; and there are up to 1300 pickers on site at this time of year.  

As Packhouse Assistant, current Trainee, psychology graduate Sophie Reay, is responsible for stock control, dispatch and wholesale orders.  

“We really believe in stretching the Trainees, as that benefits them as well as us,” says Catherine. “We have got better over the years at defining their role and giving the Trainees the support and challenge that works and meets both of our expectations.” 

When a Trainee starts, for the first month they will focus on learning the business, the terminology, be encouraged to use the analytical side of their brains, getting used to systems and how to communicate; then it’s full-on consolidation for the next five months. 

Secondment Managers

“It’s great to see the free training MDS is now offering for Secondment Managers. Knowing how to best progress placements, give clear direction and define what you both want to achieve makes a huge difference. The real coup in all of this is the support that Gretta and the team at MDS gives both us and the Trainees so that we both get the most from it. That is invaluable.” 

Trainees

Cobrey Farms’ trials lead the way in the industry. They have pioneered season extension, while improving taste, consistency, production costs and environmental sustainability. They are currently involved with trials with Cranfield University to maximise the output per litre of water, developing practical large-scale water harvesting and recycling systems for protected cropping; and are also exploring how to mitigate soil erosion.  

The trials’ role, currently filled by International Business Management graduate Angus Bartlett, starts with three months of trials reporting, followed by three months assessing performance and areas for improvement in the blueberry fields.  

Giving the Trainees exposure to all parts of the business, including importantly the skills that are absorbed rather than taught, accelerates capability, says Catherine: 

“Being a small business, Trainees with us quickly develop an understanding of how it all works. They are part of management meetings, have desks near the partners and other colleagues so they learn from overhearing conversations or calls to customers which helps them understand the buying and selling, for example. In the packhouse, they are learning to identify good people skills. There are some skills that you can’t teach. They never stop learning when they are here and develop a wide skill set quickly, which ultimately helps our business.” 

The two MDS Trainees report directly to their line managers but have regular catch ups with Catherine as their Secondment Manager. This allows her to ask questions that those closer to the job might not, and vice versa. 

“It’s a two-way process,” says Catherine. “They challenge us with questions that make us think about what we are doing and is it the right way. That is so important.” 

Development

Passionate about inspiring and developing young people, Cobrey Farms hosts regular farm visits as well as opening its gates for LEAF Open Farm Sunday. Cobrey Farms will usually have MDS Trainees on their first placements, as they need to start a month before the usual start date to get them up to speed by the time the season is in full flow. 

“When the Trainees first arrive, they can be like rabbits in the headlights, and I love seeing how quickly they develop,” says Catherine. “It’s really rewarding when they present back to MDS at the end of their two-year placement to see how much their experience at Cobrey Farms has shaped them. On several levels, MDS Trainees are a genuine asset to us. They are a fundamental and essential part of our team every year.”