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Agritech merger welcomed as further boost to Telford recruitment firm

The Jonathan Lee blog section is a great place to discover all the latest news and views on the
sectors we work with and the services we provide.

Matt Johnson, Principal Consultant and Agritech recruitment specialist, recently caught up with The Business Desk to share his reaction to the news of a merger in the agritech world. Please see an excerpt of the article below. To view the full article click here

Plans to merge three of the UK’s centres for agritech into one super hub for innovation and investment have been welcomed by agritech centre member, Jonathan Lee Recruitment.

The recruitment specialists are members of the Shropshire-based Agri-EPI Centre and have an office in its Newport headquarters next to Harper Adams University.

It was recently announced that the Agri-EPI Centre, which focuses on engineering and precision agricultural technology, will merge with Ciel (the Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock) and Chap (Crop Health and Protection).

Midlands Agri-Tech Innovation Hub

Midlands Agri-Tech Innovation Hub

As one single entity, the centres will be able to have a more joined-up approach towards innovation in farming.

The merged centres have also been invited to develop plans to establish an agritech Catapult. There are nine existing Catapults in the UK which are independent, not-for-profit, private organisations set up to transform the UK’s capability for innovation in sectors of strength.

Establishing an agritech Catapult would be an anchor for investment, enabling all the agritech sectors to draw on ground-breaking research across the Catapult network and beyond.

Jonathan Lee Recruitment joined the Agri-EPI Centre earlier this year when it opened a Telford branch, in addition to its existing offices in Stourbridge, to be closer to the agritech community it serves.

 

Matt Johnson - Jonathan Lee Recruiter

Matt Johnson – Agritech Recruitment specialist

‘Fantastic news and real boost to UK’s ambitions’

The firm’s agritech recruitment specialist, Matt Johnson, said: “This merger is fantastic news and will be a real boost for the UK’s ambitions to become a science and technology superpower.

“It means those representing all sectors of agritech will be able to join forces to leverage investment, access ground-breaking research and crucially, deliver support to the many large and small enterprises across the country that are developing the technology and innovations which are transforming the food production industry.

“We’ve seen first-hand the level and quality of support that is provided by the Agri-EPI Centre and the businesses in our building alone are doing some truly remarkable things.

“The industry is booming with innovation and we’re really enjoying being at the heart of this community, helping firms find the skills and expertise they need to develop their ideas.”

 

Portrait of worker with tablet on aquaponic farm, sustainable business and artificial lighting.

Solving agritech recruitment challenges

Matt continued: “Although the rapid growth of the sector does mean there’s a shortage of candidates, we’re able to draw on our 45 years of experience in technology and engineering to find people with transferrable skills from other sectors and to develop creative and targeted recruitment strategies.

“We’re also working with start-ups who need help getting their businesses off the ground and mapping their future recruitment needs as they grow and evolve.

“Being members of the Agri-EPI Centre has…

 

To view the full article click here

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