Although studying for a degree could be costly, it would prove to be a phenomenal investment in later life, new graduates from Reaseheath College heard.

Speaking at the Nantwich, Cheshire, college’s Faculty of Higher Education (HE) graduation ceremony, Principal Meredydd David said that an independent analysis had shown that spending £40,000 on course fees and living expenses would bring in nearly a third of a million pounds during a career.

And he revealed that 94% of Reaseheath graduates who completed their degree last year were in related employment at a starting salary of £21,000 within six months, thanks to the specialist, technical training, industry skills and experience they acquired at college.

Land-based and associated industries such as food processing and manufacturing made up the country’s largest manufacturing sector, contributed over £100 billion a year to the economy and employed 16% of the UK workforce. This meant there were fantastic career opportunities available within this sector for ambitious and well trained young people.

Reaseheath’s HE faculty had grown rapidly due to demand and currently had 700 undergraduates studying for degrees such as equine, agricultural and animal science, landscape design, food technology, dairy technology, engineering and countryside, adventure sports and rural events management.