Teagasc ecollege - Online Education Q&A

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1 Teagasc ecollege - Online Education Q&A Do you need a leaving cert to get into agricultural college? Strictly speaking you do not need a leaving cert to get into Ag College. However it is a huge help nowadays to have the LC under your belt as you are embarking on a level 5 Ag course which can be quite challenging academically so the more learning you have completed before you enter the better chance you have of completing the course successfully. Its one thing getting in to Ag College, the real prize is getting out successfully... and being able to adapt the learning to your farming situation Are the green certs still in existence with Teagasc? Or how can I go about obtaining one? courses which qualifies a person as a trained farmer. There are many ways to obtain one of these qualifications in Teagasc Teagasc Regional Education Centres. I want to do my green cert. I have 29 acres and I m 33 from New Ross, Co Wexford. Can it be done online? If you have a previous major award at Level 6 in a non agriculture related discipline, i.e. a qualified apprentice with FAS, or a higher certificate from an Institute of Technology, then you can complete the Green Cert with Teagasc part time over months. This course is called the Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Agriculture Distance Learning Option. This course is delivered in agricultural colleges and in the 12 Teagasc Regional Education Centres on predefined days over the months When I receive the farm from my father in the future? Should I or do I have to have done a course in college to avail of grants courses which qualifies a person as a trained farmer. One of the conditions for stamp duty exemption on the transfer of a farm is that you must have a Green Cert. Many schemes or grants have also an agricultural education requirement.

2 There are many ways to obtain one of these qualifications in Teagasc Teagasc Regional Education Centres. Are there any night time Agriculture Courses? I work full time, and would be interested in doing a course in agriculture so that I can farm part time, with the option of farming full time in the future. Teagasc provide a distance learning programme for graduates who already hold a non agricultural major award at Level 6 or higher. This programme meets the education requirement for Stamp Duty Relief for young trained farmers. The title of this course is Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Agriculture Distance Learning Option. This course is delivered in agricultural colleges and in the 12 Teagasc Regional Education Centres on predefined days over the months. Application information and application forms for the Teagasc Distance Education Green Cert for Non Agricultural Award Holders will be available at from Friday 26th April 2013 after 5pm. Applications will not be accepted in advance of the formal application period. The Level 5 Certificate in Agriculture and the FETAC Level 6 Specific Purpose Certificate in Farm Administration is run part time over three years in 12 Teagasc Regional Education Centres. You should contact your local Teagasc office to find out when it is next due to start. Is it possible to continue with a full time job and complete the course? Yes... the participants are usually able to arrange their time around the day job... If block release is part of the course for skills participation in a centre, students usually arrange their holidays around this. Do the fees have to be paid with registration in May or at the start of the course in September? The fees are usually payable up front. What is the amount of time spent in class on campus per week? The online course model extends over months and up to 20 days over that period are spent at the centre or college. This timetable of days varies from location to location so the best bet is to get this at registration in May from the course coordinator. The block release can be up to a week at a time but when you get your schedule then you can plan your days off and holidays with your employer. The course is challenging if you are working full time and planning your work and assignments in advance is vital.

3 I am looking for advice re. training. I completed my Certificate in Farming in Warrenstown College in Meath in 1996/97, but have since gone down a different career path. However agriculture is still something I have an interest in. I would be interested in learning more about estate/farm management. What would my next steps be? What training/further education would I need or is available? Can it be done part-time? With regards to farm management Teagasc offers the Teagasc Professional Diploma in Dairy Farm Management (Level 7). This programme incorporates two years professional work experience on registered dairy farms with the option to work overseas. Students part take in discussion groups and complete modules on block release in participating Teagasc colleges and in the Teagasc Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre Moorepark. The entry requirements are that you must possess a Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Agriculture or an equivalent major agricultural award. You could also consider applying to an Institute of Technology as a mature applicant with a view to completing a Level 7 or 8 Degree in Agriculture. These courses are run in conjunction with Teagasc in CIT, WIT and Dundalk IT. You should talk to the Mature Student Officer in your local IT for further details. I'm wondering what's my best road to take, I m working on a dairy farm at the minute, I m 24 I really enjoy farming, is a farm manager course the way to go? If you have no qualification and you enjoy the work you are currently at then becoming a qualified dairy farm manager would defiantly be the career to follow. Firstly you would need to complete the FETAC Level 5 Certificate in Agriculture at you local Agricultural College. Applications are currently being accepted for September 2013 entry. This course runs from the beginning of September until the middle of May This includes 12 weeks practical learning on a registered host farm from February to April. On completion of this course you would be eligible to apply for the Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Dairy Herd Management. This commences with a further 12 weeks practical learning on a registered farm, either in Ireland or abroad (Many students go to New Zealand). After this students return to College to complete 18 weeks of course work. The course finishes in May each year. The final stage in becoming a qualified dairy farm manager requires the completion of the Teagasc Professional Diploma in Dairy Farm Management (Level 7). This programme incorporates two years professional work experience on registered dairy farms with the option to work overseas. Students part take in discussion groups and complete modules on block release in participating Teagasc colleges and in the Teagasc Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre Moorepark.

4 I'd like to find out more about doing the green cert. I have been told that since I don't have papers for the trade I work at or I don't have a college course done that I would have to go to agricultural college for a long period of time and that I cannot do it online. I am 30 and have purchased a 40 acre farm of land along with my father. I am interested in doing the course but not spending that length of time off work and travelling to college and so on. At the end of the day exactly how valuable would the green cert be to me, a young farmer starting up. Whenever there will be grants again will they go only to the Green Certs? I'd appreciate any info you have for me. The Green Cert qualification in Agriculture is absolutely vital for you to develop your farm and your business in the very competitive environment that exists for farmers today. The qualification will enable the following: An understanding of the basics of production aspects of Agriculture An understanding of the business concepts of Agriculture An understanding of the metrics or measurables that need to be refined in any business to make it prosper and succeed. A collaboration with other young minds that are eager to develop their businesses. Group and individual (home farm) farm planning activities with Teagasc staff... an exposure to Teagasc farm planning and cash flow software packages. Discussion group work which is a proven platform for increased profits on participant farms. The younger generation of farmers need to develop skill sets that will be independent of grant aided farming in the future. This is why an examination of the efficiencies within the farm gate is critical to study. It's hard to predict what the future will hold for "grants" but in the past "qualified" (i.e. with a green cert at level 6) farmers have benefited from grant top ups in certain pollution schemes for example. The course meets the training requirements for stamp duty exemption also which may be substantial. I think that the greater prize in having done the qualification is the personal development and growth that students garner from participation... that will lead to a broadening of the mind and a desire for greater performance on the home farm.

5 Have a cert in agricultural after one year course in Teagasc Clonakilty Agricultural College in 2000/2001. What is my best route to getting a "green cert"? You need to complete a FETAC Level 6 Advanced Certificate or a FETAC Level 6 Specific Purpose Certificate in Farm Administration to achieve a Green Cert. This is a part time course run over 12 months in each agricultural college. Applications are currently being accepted for commencement this summer. Is there an equivalent of the green cert (distance online option) for degree holders running in 2013? Teagasc provide a distance learning programme for graduates who already hold a non agricultural major award at Level 6 or higher. This programme meets the education requirement for Stamp Duty Relief for young trained farmers. The title of this course is Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Agriculture Distance Learning Option. This course is delivered in agricultural colleges and in the 12 Teagasc Regional Education Centres on predefined days over months. Application information and application forms for the Teagasc Distance Education Green Cert for Non Agricultural Award Holders will be available at from Friday 26th April Applications will not be accepted in advance of the formal application period. The course is scheduled to be delivered at locations in County Meath, Roscommon, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Cork East, Mullingar, and Kilmallock, County Limerick starting in What are the benefits of doing the green cert course for a son or daughter on a family farm? courses which qualifies a person as a trained farmer. There are many ways to obtain one of these qualifications in Teagasc Teagasc Regional Education Centres. It takes a minimum of 2 years to complete this training and the content gives graduates the skills to run a farm business. Having a Green Cert is also one of the conditions of stamp duty exemption on the transfer of a farm to a son or daughter. It also meets the criteria for schemes or grants that may be available from time to time.