Graduate Programme

APPLICATION PROCESS
I never saw myself working in the agri-food industry as I did not come from a farming environment but when I saw that Dunbia Dungannon were looking for an environmental graduate online, I applied immediately. I was notified that I was successful for an interview that was to be held with the Divisional HSE Manager, UK Group Environmental Manager and a member from the HR team who looks after graduates. After completing the interview, I was invited to complete a tour of the Dungannon site and met the team in which I would be working with and they were very welcoming. The reason Dunbia was top of my list when applying to graduate roles was the learning and development opportunities available, for young people starting off it is a brilliant opportunity to avail of as the support you receive will nurture and guide you to success in your role.

ABOUT MY ROLE
There is always something happening in Dungannon which means no two days are the same. The daily goal is to be constantly working towards improvement within the site, through driving efficiencies on the production floor in terms of waste, water, electric, energy and natural gas savings or project management.. One of the opportunities presented to me was to manage the waste across Dungannon, in terms of legal compliance and contractor management, through completing duty of care audits on external contractor sites and ensuring our paperwork is compliant in terms of Transfer Notes and Licenses. I also organised biodiversity initiatives for our employees to engage with in 2023, including litter picks during WRAP Week, the big wild walk to raise money for the National Trust and engaging with local schools in seed planting and eco-heroes competitions. As an environmental graduate, I also work closely with the Health and Safety team to get greater coverage across all areas of the site, identifying and reporting hazards, completing audits and contractor control to name a few, as we can put our heads together and work towards our goal.

DEVELOPING SKILLS
Project planning is a key area in which you develop when working as part of the Environmental Team and Graduate Programme. As you develop your idea, present it to relevant stakeholders, so when it comes to fruition and is successful, all that background work was worthwhile to achieve your goal identified at the start, despite how many months it may take!

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES
When I first started, there was some challenges, with the agri-food industry being completely new to me I had to start learning from scratch, University only gives you the theory, it was now time to apply this to the real world. However, this job has highlighted the part I enjoy the most about working as an environmental graduate, which is the compliance piece and waste management across the 3 sites in Dungannon. To be an environmental graduate at Dunbia,  you definitely need to be goal orientated, ambitious and a problem solver as some challenges may appear without your planning. You also have to be a change-driver as the environmental and agri-food industry is constantly evolving.

PROGRESSION OPPORTUNITIES
In the future, I would like to fully manage the Environmental Systems with Waste Management across Dungannon and possibly more sites, I want to make changes linear across the sites (which is easier said than done). I would also like to complete the UCD Programme for Management Development which is offered by Dunbia and become an Internal Auditor for the ISO14001 standard to gain an in depth understand of the process. Support in Dunbia is amazing, I have scheduled meetings with my department manager to discuss any progress and any challenges in which I am facing, in which we would brainstorm actions together to help to overcome these, guiding me to become the best I can be. As part of the graduate programme, I also have access to a mentor, which is the factory manager in my case, with the abundance of experience there has been countless times in which they have guided me to achieve the goal I have set. We also have the opportunity to a week long programme in Harper Adams University in which you build on skills relevant to the business and how to build on these and influential in your role.

Climate change is an ongoing threat to the world through food shortages and drought. It is going to impact all of us, this is why it is the best time to get involved and be progressive in an Environmental Role to the reduce impact and addressing environmental/sustainability challenges in a changing world.

Why did you decide on a career in Operations?
I first clicked on an advertisement for the Dunbia Graduate Programme having recognised the company from living in the area and began researching the industry and the role. I realised that despite having a nontraditional background my education had given me essential analytical and communication skills for the industry. Leaving university there is always a fear you are going to be placed in a job where you are stuck at a desk in the corner of an office all day, but in Operations I can work in several different production environments in one day, consistently facing new challenges.

Why did you want to work for Dunbia?
My main reason for wanting to work for Dunbia was the training and development on offer. It was clear that they put a lot of investment into developing early careers through reading the stories of other senior managers who had progressed from the graduate scheme. It was also clear that the company valued innovation and inclusivity, qualities that strongly appealed to me and something which I have definitely found since working here.

How was the recruitment process?
The initial application was simple, I sent my CV and filled out a short cover letter. A couple of weeks after the application deadline I received a call from the group HR explaining how they enjoyed reading my application and invited me to an interview.

I was given an industry specific problem to research in order to give a short presentation as part of the interview. The interview was held over teams with a member of group HR, the Operational Manager and HR Manager of my site. The interview itself was simple, alongside strength-based questions and the presentation there was pleasant conversation to get to know me and my personality. Feedback from the interview was very quick and the next week I got invited to a final in-person interview on site.  The site visit involved a full tour by the Site Operations Manager to ensure the role was the right fit for me answer any questions I had. A couple of days after the visit, I accepted the job offer.

The whole process was much simpler than other graduate roles I had applied to. Throughout the process I was consistently updated which made the process a lot less stressful.

What tasks do you carry out on a typical day as an operations graduate?
Each day could be different which is what I enjoy about the role, and it varies even more as I cross between departments. A standard day could see me focus on one of my departmental specific learning goals, learning about how to perform a specific production process and its relevance to the wider operation. I could also be undertaking work for one of my personal projects which could be looking at increasing efficiency or a cost saving measure. Lastly, I would be involved with some of the responsibilities of my current Production Manager where I help with their workload in addition to learning valuable knowledge about what is required to manage a production area.

What type of person would suit a career in Operations?
Someone who is adaptable, on the scheme you will move around different production environments each with their own unique challenges. I would also say that enjoying working in a team and being a good communicator is essential. You will come to be relied on and rely on a wide range of leadership teams in the production areas.

What are your career ambitions?
One of the best things about the program is the fast-track career progression. Whilst it is too early in my scheme to know where in the business I will enter after my training, I aim to become a departmental manager with my own team underneath me down the road hopefully be responsible for running my own site.

What support do you receive at Dunbia to help you achieve your goals?
I have regular catch up with my Site Operations Manager who monitors my progress through each department in addition to challenging me with projects to work on within them. All managers have been really helpful in each department with my training programme, they take the time and effort to not only explain things thoroughly but to show and get you to experience them yourself. As a graduate I also have access to a mentor in addition to my line manager who acts as an impartial source of career advice, helping with any problems I experience at work, in addition to making sure I am driving my own learning and development.

What advice can you give to others who want to work Operations at Dunbia?
Don’t think you have to come from a farming background or have an agri-degree to apply, whilst the knowledge is no doubt helpful, on the scheme you will be offered all the help and support needed. Also be open minded and flexible with the scheme, often the best opportunities for learning and development arise by diverting from your scheduled program. Lastly, drive your development yourself, understand it is your responsibility to push your training program and you will get the most out of it.

APPLICATION PROCESS
Dunbia is a great, well-known company to work for as it is one of the biggest meat processors in the UK and Ireland. I was fortunate to receive a bursary award from Dunbia alongside a 12-month placement opportunity. The first stage of the application was filling in a form and completing an essay on how Dunbia can reduce their plastic packaging in their products. The second stage of the process was an online interview, discussing my essay. I thoroughly enjoyed my placement and decided to return to Dunbia after my studies to complete the graduate programme.

ABOUT MY ROLE
In the Food Safety and Quality department every day is different, which I enjoy as it keeps the role exciting. Typical duties would include internal audits such as GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), completing traceability exercises, dealing with customer complaints, managing microbiological sampling programmes, setting up new product labels, and completing checks. My favourite part of the job would be carrying out floor checks, especially animal welfare. This is because it gives me variation and it is just not office-based work. A challenge of the job is to expect the unexpected as we have unannounced audit which can give you a different agenda for the day you had planned as you have to prioritise the audit.

WHY WORK AT DUNBIA?
As a graduate, a lot of support is received through regular meetings with a designated mentor in addition to your line manager. You can discuss your progress with your mentor and this will be kept confidential. If you have a passion for food, I would definitely apply for a role at Dunbia. There are plenty of opportunities for career progression in the food industry with many different roles available across different departments including IT, Health and Safety, Procurement and more. You don’t have to be from a farming background to work in the industry. I did not have any prior experience or knowledge in farming or agriculture and I have learn a lot through working at Dunbia.