24 May 2012

National Diploma students at Loughry Campus are definitely well placed to get hired – a fact only too evident in a recent ‘apprentice’ style event held at Loughry.

The popular ‘Apprentice’ TV show has recently tasked contestants with the challenge of developing some new food products, something Loughry have been doing for years in their annual new product development challenge. This competition, which is run in partnership with Avondale Foods, saw five student groups innovating, developing and launching a range of added value vegetable based products. It culminated in student groups showcasing their best products for tasting to industry experts, Diane Christie and Gemma Rankin, from Avondale Foods.

It is a well known fact that innovation is a key driver in the success of the modern food and drink manufacturing industry and, according to Diane Christie, Head of Product Development from Avondale Foods, Loughry students really “excelled” in this field. Competition was steep as all groups had designed products with unique selling points, but after much deliberation and tasting, the Samuel Geddis Perpetual Cup was awarded for the development of the cheese, bacon and onion potato bites. This product particularly impressed the panel for its ingenuity, not to mention unique taste and flavour. Jonathan Gardiner, a delighted member of the winning team said, “We developed the perfect meal accompaniment to suit working professionals. Our market research showed that more people are ‘dining in’ and this product is designed to be a premium but versatile product, allowing consumers to assemble the prepared ingredients to suit their own tastes.”  

The practical skills developed across all courses from National Diploma to Honours Degree level, added with close industry links make Loughry students very employable. So, if you want to be the one to get yourself ‘hired’, why not find out more about the range of full-time and part-time courses Loughry have to offer.

Back row: Jonathan Gardiner, Emma Bayne and Laura Shepherd (ND Food students, CAFRE, Loughry Campus)

Front row: Gemma Rankin (Avondale Foods), Diane Christie (Avondale Foods), Derek McDowell (CAFRE, Loughry Campus)