A fast food giant brought West Midlands students to a Dorset farm to learn about agricultural jobs.

This week McDonald’s invited students from Walsall to its flagship organic dairy farm in Sherborne.

Set over three days, the pilot programme ‘Reframing Nature’ saw 11 students from St Thomas More School swap their classroom for the countryside as they learnt more about pursuing careers in the land-based sector, which included hands on experience at a McDonald’s organic dairy farm.

It immersed students in a variety of practical activities, giving them the chance to learn more about animal welfare and wildlife conservation.

The visit ended with careers and employability advice from industry experts.

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During the visit, students also learnt about the restaurants' supply chain team and completed the farm to front counter experience with a behind the scenes tour of the Dorchester McDonald’s restaurant.

This programme is designed to help inspire young people from urban backgrounds, who may not traditionally consider a career in food and farming.

Millie Avery, a student from St Thomas More School, said: “I’ve really enjoyed the past few days, learning more about the wide range of roles within the food and farming industry, and getting the chance to see a McDonald’s dairy farm.

"Coming from a town in the Midlands, being out on farm and getting a behind the scenes look at a supply chain has been amazing.

"I’d say it’s opened my eyes to other careers I wouldn’t necessarily have thought of, too.”

The initiative is part of McDonald’s commitment to kick-start more than 100 careers in the industry for young people from diverse backgrounds.

The pilot was hosted by Kingston Maurward College and local McDonald’s franchisee Chris Truscott.

Chris said: “The food and farming sectors are a huge part of community life in my home of Dorset.

"Therefore it was important to me to spearhead this initiative with McDonald’s to show young people from other parts of the country what careers in this sector, and across the McDonald’s supply chain, can look like.

"The more young people we can engage in these careers, whatever their background, the stronger our industry will be in future – from farm to front counter.”