UCC students awarded Jack Murphy Scholarships from FDC Group

FDC’s sponsorship is worth €250,000 and is now in its fourth year
A total of 20 students will be awarded with a scholarship of €12,500 each
Students will receive a work placement opportunity with FDC Group

Irish accountancy firm FDC Group have collaborated with University College Cork (UCC) to support a scholarship programme in Cork University Business School worth a total of €250,000. The sponsorship is now in its fourth year and will provide 20 students with a scholarship of €12,500 each, along with a guaranteed placement opportunity within the FDC Group.

The Jack Murphy Scholarship programme is aimed at students from the MSc in Co-operatives, Agri-Food and Sustainable Development and the MSc in Management and Marketing. FDC Group developed the programme having been impressed by the contribution made by UCC students on placement within their company. The successful recipients of this year’s scholarships are Fiona Barry, Dylan Lane, Amy McMahon and Siobhan O’Driscoll.

Jack Murphy, Managing Director, FDC Group congratulated the 2021 Jack Murphy Scholarship recipients:
“FDC Group is delighted to support these students in their studies with UCC and offer them the opportunity to combine their theoretical knowledge with real-life practical experience while serving the business community. The Scholarship programme and our relationship with UCC has contributed to the culture of innovation and growth at FDC Group. Former Scholarship recipient and current FDC Group Marketing Associate, Andrea Piackova is a wonderful example of the programme’s success. We look forward to more, and to welcoming Fiona, Dylan, Amy and Siobhan as they take the first steps in their careers”.

In keeping with FDC’s ambition of meeting the service needs of business and farming clients throughout rural Ireland, scholarship applicants are required to identify an important issue facing rural Ireland and propose a concise strategy to address this issue.

Professor Thia Hennessy, Dean, Cork University Business School said:
“We are incredibly grateful to FDC Group for continuing to support these scholarships. This partnership strengthens our ambition to help shape leaders for a sustainable future, offering talented students the opportunity to become business innovators who will place sustainability at the heart of their organisations”.

The MSc in Co-operatives, Agri-Food and Sustainable Development is a unique course which has a very strong practical emphasis and equips graduates with the organisational and management skills needed to make innovative contributions to the development of local economies. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of co-operatives, social enterprises and food businesses in Ireland and overseas.

The MSc Management and Marketing is designed for graduates who wish to pursue a career in management or marketing. This unique programme places great emphasis on the strategic, operational, and innovation aspects of management and marketing which are essential for business careers and for the development of a knowledge-based economy.

Alan Deasy, Head of Development, College of Business and Law added:
“On behalf of the programme directors involved, Dr Olive McCarthy, Dr Noreen Byrne, Dr Linda Murphy and Dr Dave Alton, we would like to sincerely thank FDC Group for their ongoing engagement and support. Partners such as FDC Group enhance the long-term success of these programmes and emphasise the power and importance of corporate philanthropy.”

About FDC Group:

The FDC (Farm Development Co-Op) was founded in 1973 in Dunmanway, West Cork by Mr Jack Murphy, General Manager. Today, the FDC Group is headquartered in Wellington Road, Cork city.

The group now employs in excess of 430 people across 39 different locations nationwide. As a decentralised multi-disciplined professional services provider, FDC espouses the unique values of rural Ireland and continue our delivery of a full service offering via a local presence to the farming and business communities we serve. The company is committed to having a strong presence where their clients are located.

FDC Group is now placed within the top 10 accountancy firms in Ireland. As advisors of choice in rural Ireland across a diverse client base of farmers, SMEs, family businesses, commercial agribusiness, self-employed professionals and contractors, FDC’s strength and depth is spread across the company’s key services: Accounting, Tax and Legal, Financial Services, Agri Consultancy, Management Accounting, Advisory, Banking, Audit, Training and Client Business IT Solutions.