Students from 31 universities nationwide convened in Atlanta recently for the USPOULTRY Foundation College Student Career Program, held in conjunction with the 2022 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE). Nearly 500 university students and human resource managers and recruiters from 21 companies participated in the program. The College Student Career Program is the most efficient and effective way for the poultry industry to find managers of the future and has been a vital part of many companies’ hiring process for nearly 50 years. It is one of the largest career events of its kind for students seeking professions in the industry.
The College Student Career Program officially kicked off with a keynote address by Kendall Layman, managing director of Global IT and Global Marketing for Cobb-Vantress, who shared knowledge learned throughout his career. Early in the address, Layman encouraged students by stating, “Although you might have interests outside of poultry science, the poultry industry can still be a home for you. The poultry industry needs finance people, HR people, marketing people, IT people and lab people.”