Course Summary
Course Category: PLC (Further Education - FET) - Apply directly to College
The course comprises two awards, the Level 5 Certificate in Agriculture (120 credits) and the Level 6 Specific Purpose Certificate in Farming (50 credits), and consists of a combination of formal course work and a period of practical learning. The formal course work is split between practical/ skills training and classroom (theoretical) sessions.
The course consists of a range of mandatory and elective modules such as: farm business and IT; principles of agriculture; farm safety; farm assurance; farm enterprise production modules; safe use of pesticides; farm performance and management modules; grass production modules, and environmental modules. Students choose a cluster of elective modules in one of the following specialisms: dairy production, drystock production, machinery and crop production.
Course Details
This course prepares you for working in the following Career Sectors:
What will you study?
-
Work Practice (home farm) 5N1433
Principles of Agriculture 5N20368
Farm Safety and Farm Assurance 5N20371
Soils and the Environment 5N20374
Farm Business and Technology 5N20377
Safe Use of Pesticide Products 5N20380
Communications 5N0690
Constructive Thinking 5N0693
Teamworking 5N1367
Personal Effectiveness 5N1390
Start your Own Business 5N1418
Personal and Professional Development 5N2985
Sheep Husbandry 5N20385
Beef Husbandry 5N20388
Dairy Husbandry 5N20396
Grass Production 5N20399
Tillage Crop Husbandry 5N20402
Potato Production 5N20405
Equipment for Crop Establishment 5N20408
Mechanical Hedge Trimming 5N1748
Chemical Fertiliser Application 5N1750
All Terrain Vehicle Operations 5N1752
Farm Structures 5N20420
Organic Farming Principles 5N20423
Tractor Maintenance 5N20426
Workshop Skills 5N20429
Grassland Machinery 5N20432
Mechanical Pesticide Application 5N20435
Manual Pesticide Application 5N20438
Organic Manure Handling 5N20441
Farm Forestry 5N20453
Work Practice 6N1947
Farm Performance Measurement 6N3005
Farm Management and Business Planning 6N20462
Sustainable Farming in the Environment 6N20463
Applied Livestock Breeding 6N3525
Crop Production Management 6N20468
Grassland Management 6N20472
Important
- Colleges may add/remove modules to keep the course updated and to meet demands.
- Almost all PLC courses have a Work Experience module, which requires students to find their own placement in an area directly related to their course.
Progression to CAO Courses
Higher Education Links Scheme (HELS)
This course leads to a QQI Major Award, and provides progression opportunities to a number of Higher Education courses, including those in the CAO.
To view CAO courses to which this award provides a possible progression route, click below:
| QQI Code |
| 5M20454 |
To calculate Points based on your QQI award results, use the PLC Points Calculator.
The Student - Career Interests
This course is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests:
Naturalist
Not surprisingly, some aspect of the natural sciences will run through the Naturalist's interests - from ecological awareness to nutrition and health. People with an interest in horticulture, land usage and farming (including fish) are Naturalists.
Some Naturalists focus on animals rather than plants, and may enjoy working with, training, caring for, or simply herding them. Other Naturalists will prefer working with the end result of nature's produce - the food produced from plants and animals. Naturalists like solving problems with solutions that show some sensitivity to the environmental impact of what they do. They like to see practical results and prefer action to talking and discussing.
Social
The Social person's interests focus on interacting with the people in their environment. In all cases, the Social person enjoys the personal contact with other people in preference to the impersonal dealings with things, data and ideas found in other groups.
Many will seek out positions where there is direct contact with the public in some advisory role, whether a receptionist or a counsellor. Social people are motivated by an interest in different types of people and like diversity in their work environments. Many are drawn towards careers in the caring professions and social welfare area, whilst others prefer teaching and other 'informing' roles.
Further Research
National Statistics for this Award (All Ireland)
The following data provides general information about this Award from colleges across Ireland.
Disclaimer: These links are to web sites outside of CareersPortal and we accept no responsibility for the information on them.