Under the umbrella of the British Poultry Council Scholarships, the various companies are offering sponsorship to students at the University College. Successful applicants can have their tuition fees paid for one or two years, and will be given paid work with the sponsoring company for their compulsory year in industry.

Peter Furlong, Managing Director of Vencomatic, gave presentations to students from courses including agri-food marketing and agriculture. He explained that the poultry industry needs a fresh intake of young experts, and promises excellent career prospects.

Final-year Harper Adams student, Catherine Green, shared her experiences as a PD Hook scholar. She has been supported by the company since her second year at Harper Adams and had just returned to the campus after spending a year working in various aspects of the business and is now doing her dissertation on a poultry topic.

She said: "My advice for students considering applying for a scholarship is that, even if you don't have any background in poultry, just give it a go. I had no idea how it was going to pan out at all. I thought I was definitely a sheep person, but as it turns out I really enjoyed it working in poultry and I think it has definitely been worth it. There are a lot of opportunities, so give something new a go!"

Also at the fair was Charlie Morris, who has just started her placement year with Cargill Meats, after becoming one of the first BPC scholars in 2010.

He said: "Following my induction with the company, I have been working in the hatchery doing a project on chick quality. It's really enjoyable, it has been great to go into a different industry that I did not think I would go into and I’ve learned many new skills."

Christian White, also on placement, with Cranberry Foods, said: "I am not from a poultry background but I wanted something to broaden my horizons. It's a new industry to me and it's only going to grow, so I thought 'Why not?'."

Katy Slaney, who worked for Faccenda in her placement year, said: "I did a mixture of project work and a day-to-day role. My project work centred on efficiency in the Telford factory and on a day-to-day basis, I was responsible for the planning of the Asda barbecue range of products, working with a third-party, contracted company.

She added: "It was really good year for me. I got a lot out of it personally and I learned a lot about the poultry industry because I didn't know anything about it to start with."

Students have to complete written applications for the scholarships and successful candidates will be interviewed later this month, before the winners are revealed.