Industry Bursaries growing potential at CAFRE
March 11, 2025
The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) was delighted to welcome industry partners, students and their supporters to the presentation of Bursaries and Scholarships. Horticulture students studying at Greenmount Campus received six bursary awards with a total value £9,000.
Since introducing Higher Education courses in Horticulture 25 years ago, Greenmount Campus has developed strong partnerships with businesses who offer generous bursary support to degree students at CAFRE.
The Horticulture Industry Supporters Programme awards are on offer to students pursuing Foundation Degree and Bachelor’s Honours Degree qualifications in Horticulture at CAFRE.
Floriane Vanden Broeck from Belfast was presented with The Gibson Trust Bursary by Hugh Ferguson. Floriane is studying for a Foundation Degree in Horticulture qualification at CAFRE Greenmount Campus.
Mr Paul McHenry, Acting CAFRE Director addressed attendees of the bursary presentation. He commended the sponsoring organisations for recognising the value of supporting students training to enter careers within the horticulture industry. In his remarks, Mr McHenry commented, “The Horticulture sector in Northern Ireland encompasses a wide range of roles from speciality crop production to garden design. It provides employment opportunities for approximately 14,000 people directly and 6,000 people indirectly. Northern Ireland’s ornamental horticulture sector alone is worth approximately £562 million with golf tourism bringing a further £68 million into the economy”.
“Horticulture helps to addresses some of our most pressing problems such as food security and climate change. Horticulturists are leading the transition to growing plants in peat free compost and continue to improve the environment for our communities through their work in parks and landscaping. There are exciting opportunities for our graduates as Northern Ireland seeks to double the size of its production horticulture sector sustainably from its current value of approximately £100 million/annum,” concluded Mr McHenry.
Mr David Dowd, Acting Head of Horticulture commented, “We are delighted that in this our 25th year of delivering Higher Education Horticulture courses, that we have expanded our Bursary provision. This year we welcome three new Industry Supporters onboard! The Gibson Trust, The Royal Ulster Agricultural Society and the Ulster Farmer’s Union. Their involvement in the programme reiterates the importance of crop production and supply chain integration and management across the sector”.
For information on Higher Education Degree courses offered at CAFRE, view the Horticulture course page and discover a course for you. The College is hosting an Open Week from Tuesday, 25th March to Saturday 29th, March. The Open Day for Horticulture and Floristry courses is Wednesday, 26th March, to book a place, click here. Some of our degree courses are still accepting applications for courses starting this September, please get in contact to discuss your options.
