Equine students celebrated a total of 19 awards presented by industry companies at their Careers Fair at Enniskillen Campus of CAFRE recently.

Over the years, CAFRE's students have benefited greatly from the generous support and close partnerships built with industry professionals across Ireland and beyond, established through Enniskillen Campus.

The Industry Supporters programme at Enniskillen Campus awarded £29,500 to Equine students pursuing Certificate of Higher Education, Foundation Degree, and Bachelor's Honours Degree courses.

Some 19 companies presented awards to students, which included the Aga Khan Studs, Bluegrass, Coolmore, Danske Bank, Derrinstown Stud, Downpatrick Racecourse, Gerry Dilger Foundation, Horse Racing Ireland, Horse Sport Ireland, Irish Farmers’ Journal, Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association, Juddmonte, Show Jumping Ireland, Tinnakill House Stud, Tyrone Farming Society, Ulster Carpets, Vaughan Trust and Weatherbys.

Martin McKendry, CAFRE Director, led the bursary presentation proceedings.

He commended the 18 sponsoring organisations for recognising the value of education to the equine industry through the provision of generous bursaries to first year Higher Education students at Enniskillen Campus.

Many of the organisations have been longstanding supporters of the Bursary programme, offering tangible support to equine students.

A Career Development Award for a student on the final year of the BSc (Hons) programme was presented by Godolphin, who are also providing four final year students with the opportunity to spend time on work placement at Kildangan Stud.

In recognising the support offered to the students at Enniskillen Campus, final year, Honours Degree student Anne Marie Dineen, Chair of the Student Representative Council, thanked the bursary providers.

She said: “The economic support the bursaries offer is genuinely appreciated. Academic, social, and employment demands can often be difficult to balance, so easing the financial burden of study is a huge relief to students.

“In a climate of rising costs, the Bursary awards will help us continue to put our best foot forward.”

If you are interested in studying equine and want to connect with a college who can help set your career off to a flying start, apply now to study at Enniskillen Campus.

For information on CAFRE’s equine courses, see www.cafre.ac.uk.

Applications for full-time degree courses can be made through www.ucas.com.

If you are interested in part-time study or a Level 2 or Level 3 course, apply now through www.cafre.ac.uk.