Course Aim
This course places an emphasis on practical skills associated with livestock production, grassland husbandry and machinery. Students attend class one day per week with the other four days being spent on the work experience provider’s farm. Students may have to attend Greenmount Campus for two weeks in the first year to complete additional training.
Course Content
Basic skills include:
- Animal health and welfare
- Animal selection and breeding
- Feeding livestock.
- Keeping farm records.
- Milking (optional).
- Routine treatments, for example, dosing, injecting.
- Tractor operation.
And two subsidiary subjects
- Emergency first aid
- Foundation module of pesticide application
- Good business sense
- Manual handling
- Sheep shearing
Students who wish to achieve the Level 2 Apprenticeship in Agriculture and have not attained a Grade C or above in English, Mathematics at GCSE or equivalent qualifications, have to complete Essential Skills in Numeracy and Literacy.
Completion of Essential Skills are optional for students on the NPTC Level 2 Diploma in Work-based Agriculture.
Start earning now
Funding may be available under the ApprenticeshipsNI training initiative. As an apprentice you will be in paid employment with an employer from the beginning of the programme. The hours worked and the amount paid will be agreed with your employer before you start employment.
Student View: Mark McFarland
“I come from a large dairy farm outside Newtownstewart. I am studying this course so I can get a better understanding of working with all stock, particularly beef cattle and sheep as I had no experience of them at all. Another benefit is that I have achieved my PA2a spraying, Telehandler and Safe Tractor Driving Certificates. This is important as I am responsible for a lot of the machinery work on the home farm.” |
