“There’s really strong interest in how a co-operative functions and graduates today really like that ethos of working for the betterment of an organisation that is people-focused and aims to deliver for its communities,” says Hickey of the organisation that has undergone a major rebrand in recent years after Tirlán formerly known as Glanbia Ireland transitioned from part ownership by Glanbia plc. 

Tirlán, which has extensive experience in operating graduate programmes through its previous ownership structure with Glanbia plc, designed its ‘Unearth Your Future’ around a two-year graduate programme that delivers a flexible programme with continuous development.

From its base in the south-east of Ireland, the €3 billion business operates 11 high-tech dairy and grain processing facilities, 52 agri retail branches and has over 2,300 employees. It has a strong global footprint with a market presence in the UK, France, Germany, UAE, the US, North Africa, Japan and China.

In September of this year, Tirlán will be taking on its latest intake of graduates. In that same month, the search for next year’s intake kicks off.  

Hickey says there is a wide range of potential early careers across disciplines, including accounting, agribusiness, engineering, IT and project management will be of interest. Also, opportunities in food science and nutrition, marketing, supply chain, HR and many more. 

When recruitment for next year’s hires begins in the autumn, the Tirlán team will be visiting colleges, institutes of education and career fairs. 

 “We have such a wide range of opportunities for graduates across our entire organisation. Our graduate programme is based on developing and nurturing people to grow in their professional careers. We are looking for ambitious graduates across a range of various areas to join us.     

“We have developed a focused graduate programme ‘Unearth your Future’ designed to enable the individual to build confidence in their abilities and flourish in their career. 

“For me personally, one of the things that really stands out for me in our organisation is the people. Everyone works together and that goes to the heart of the organisation.” 

Acknowledging that today’s recruitment market is ‘really competitive’, Hickey says that Tirlán’s reputation amongst agri-science and food science graduates is well-known. “We have a reputation for giving our graduates opportunities to progress and develop their careers with us,” he says. “Because of this, we get a huge amount of applications.” 

Tirlán operates a network of state-of-the-art processing facilities, with excellent opportunities for engineers. Hickey says the number of applications for engineering roles continues to increase steadily, which is linked to word-of-mouth from those in current positions. “We have  great opportunities for process, project, mechanical and automation engineers. 

“We also have good jobs that will give young engineers a well-rounded experience of working in an advanced manufacturing environment. As for those who have a mind to go for leadership roles down the line, they might be interested to know that many of Tirlán’s leaders have a background in engineering.”

“Graduates should know that while Tirlán is not perhaps as well known in this industry, those who come to work with us tend to flourish in their careers, no matter what side of the business they’re in”.

 “We encourage interested candidates to come and talk to us directly at the fairs, get their applications in to us by October, when the campaign takes off and continues until Christmas time,” says Hickey. “Offers tend to go out towards the end of December and into January and February.  

“We continue to advertise for our graduate programme until November. Details will be found on our website and also on TikTok, Meta, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. Our goal is to recruit the right candidates for our business in the selection process. We push hard to do that as we seek ambitious graduates who want to kickstart their careers in a company like ours.” 

According to Hickey, the culture at Tirlán centres around career development and career progression. “We give graduates the opportunity to rotate, as in, work at a different site within their discipline. Also, to work with different teams within the disciplines they specialise in. We find that they enjoy the responsibility they are given along with the experience of becoming key members of our team.

 “All of the graduates we take on, start together on 9th September. That’s a group induction day, so they will all spend it together here at Abbey Quarter, Kilkenny City. Many of those in attendance will have just finished their courses, while others may have been working for a couple of years”. 

Hickey says that for those on the two year graduate programme, Tirlán offers a lot of on the job training and encourages people to obtain business certificates for business excellence and other qualifications during their time with Tirlán. 

“There is a great culture of encouragement to upskill and develop their training by completing a variety of certificates of education, while they are with us,” he says.

Discussing what Tirlán offers for finance graduates, he says: “We offer them a three-year programme. They choose the accountancy body of their choice. We sponsor their course fees and their exams as well. They study while they are working with us. They get great experience working with different accountancy teams, while taking modules as well.” 

Hickey says that Tirlán has a high retention rate amongst the graduate intake cohort. “Whether they stay on afterwards may depend on whether there are suitable roles available at that time,” he says. “That being said, we pride ourselves on having a quite a strong retention rate of converting graduate programme positions  into full time roles within the business.”

On the topic of work life balance, he says: “We have a wide range of roles throughout our business and there is a strong ethos of encouraging a good work life balance and of enjoying the work you do.”

As for what Hickey and his colleagues are looking for when they pursue the CVs of interested parties, he replies: “We look for people with good work experience, whether in an internship or elsewhere. We look for people who are flexible and who show ambition. People who are willing to work hard and work well with our teams. People who are willing to challenge themselves every day.

“We also like to meet people who see themselves making a future for themselves with Tirlán, as in, people who see themselves staying with us long term. Whether they do or not isn't the be all and the end all. These days young people are travelling and moving about a lot. But it is particularly nice for us to meet the people who are passionate about Tirlán, passionate about our brand, and passionate about what we do.

“Now is a very exciting time to join Tirlán. It has been since 2022. We are a separate entity, a fully owned farmer’s co-op. This is something about which we are very proud. We are proud of our vision for Tirlán, and of our plan to continue to grow and to be a vital part of Irish community life as we have been for so long. We have a good diverse mix of people here and that works very well for us.” 

Hickey describes Tirlán’s early careers programme as an umbrella under which the co-op recruits graduates and interns.

 “We have great opportunities for interns and apprentices, just as we do for graduates. We start recruiting for our apprenticeship programme in February each year. As for the internship programmes, they are run through the various universities and other institutes of education. Tirlán partners with both each year to offer students placements with us, as part of their third-level studies. For those interested in an internship placement with Tirlán, the best option is to contact the universities and other institutes of education about this.”

“Tirlán is a company that really prides itself on giving people not only opportunities, but the tools to progress within the company.  We have a great culture of young enthusiastic people coming in and developing their careers with us over the decades that follow. That is a trend we hope to continue well into the future.”