Vote for the winner of the Trainee of the Year Award
Poultry World readers are being asked to vote for the winner of the Pfizer Trainee of the Year 2007 Award.
Over the last three months, Poultry World has profiled the three finalists of the Pfizer Trainee of the Year Award 2007. But now it’s up to you to decide the winner.
Here is a quick summary of the three finalists from the last three issues of Poultry World.
Finalist 1: Harry Perdikou
A couple of holidays on a poultry unit in Somerset gave Harry Perdikou the taste for life on a farm. So when he left school in Edinburgh at the age of 18, he opted for a career in poultry.
He went back to work on the unit for Steart Farms, near Bridgwater, in September 2006. “He joined us a city boy with no experience, but plenty of enthusiasm,” reports his employer, Simon Darch. He had to learn everything from scratch and has taken to the job, says Simon.
Steart Farms has two units growing broilers for Lloyd Maunder. Ferricies Farm, where Harry works, produces flocks of 50,000 grown on a Freedom Foods regime to 51 days on a maize diet.
When asked how he has benefited from his training, he said: “With the knowledge and practical skills I have gained, I’ve become more self-confident in what I am doing. This has given my employer more confidence in my ability to achieve the tasks on the farm to the high standard required by him and the company we supply.”
Read the full profile of Harry
Finalist 2: Christopher Rees
Working on a poultry farm might have seemed a natural choice for Christopher Rees. He was brought up on a broiler breeder unit in Leicestershire, but it was not until he was 24 that he saw this as the career for him.
He sought to broaden his poultry experience and moved to the commercial layer sector, managing a 55,000-bird free-range and barn-egg unit for Bridge House Farm at Long Buckby in Northamptonshire. In 2004 he went back to the Illston-on-the-hill farm, became assistant manager for Moy Park’s 37,000-bird broiler breeder unit at Scothern, Lincoln, and last September was appointed manager of a 23,500-bird breeder farm at Landbeach, Cambridgeshire.
When asked how he has benefited from his training, he said: “As a result of my training, I’m more aware of the importance of high standards of biosecurity on my farm. I am also more vigilant when it comes to health and safety, and the protection of my livestock, staff, the environment and the business generally.”
Read the full profile of Christopher
Finalist 3: Adrian Abnett
Enthusiasm to learn is a big asset to anyone starting a career, which is a quality which our third finalist, Adrian Abnett, has in abundance.
He joined Grampian Country Chickens in their rearing division in Kent just over two years ago at 17 years of age, after initially working for a vaccinating and catching team. He had gained a string of GCSEs and was not then considering a poultry career, but after beginning sixth form studies he changed his mind.
He began an NVQ apprenticeship and was soon moved on to a rearing farm as a stockman. It proved to be an excellent place for hands-on experience, with Grange Farm at Kenardington, near Ashford, gaining the Aviagen award for the best performing rearing flock for 2005.
He was recently promoted to assistant manager over 60,000 broiler breeders on the Grange, Horsemarsh and Balcony sites in the Lydd area.
When asked how he has benefited from his training, he said: “I tend to be more methodical in my actions, taking into account the whole picture. Rather than concentrating on a single issue, I have become more confident in my own ability and as a result more efficient. This has not only developed my own personality, but has also improved the manner in which I deal with my livestock.”
Read the full profile of Adrian
Voting opens on October 5 and you can vote either by phone (0845 4026 527), fax (0845 4026 528) or email (roger@bhrcommunications.co.uk) simply stating your choice follows by your name and company. Deadline for voting is 22 October.
The winner will receive £2000 worth of training of their choice and the award is to be given by junior DEFRA minister, Lord Rooker, at the Egg and Poultry Industry Conference on 5 November.