The next Farm Technician Apprenticeship Course (Level 6) is due to commence on September 29th, Head of Knowledge Transfer, Pig Development Department, Ciaran Carroll tells us more on how to secure your place.

We need a core number of at least 10 pig students to justify running the course. We are currently short of that number. If you have anyone interested, please contact your Specialised Teagasc Pig Advisor now and they will let you know how to register as a host farm and how your student can apply for the course.

The Teagasc Farm Apprenticeship programme commenced in December 2023, offering the Farm Technician (Higher Certificate Level 6) programme and Farm Manager (Bachelor Degree Level 7) programme. Although the apprenticeship programmes are across different commercial farming enterprises, Teagasc PDD are heavily involved in delivering the pig specific content.

To date, we have been involved in delivering the Level 6 Farm Technician programme in conjunction with Clonakilty Agricultural College. However, numbers are low from the pig industry and will need to increase if we are to be in a position to offer the apprenticeship programmes for the pig industry from September 2025.

To remind you what’s involved, the Farm Technician programme is for those who wish to pursue a career in the agricultural industry as a farm technician or for existing personnel in the industry who would like to gain a qualification. It trains apprentices to operate successfully within Irish farming systems, gaining skills in daily operations, compliance with industry standards and regulatory measures. It will lead to a Level 6 Higher certificate.

Full details of the Farm Technician Apprenticeship programme can be found here.

The above article first appeared in the most recent edition of the Teagasc Pigs newsletter.