College con!!!!

[whindy]

Just passing on my take on 16 + ag college. They may not all be the same .
But probably are not much different.
Our children have to be in education until age of 18, unfortunately, this has led in my opinion to a 1 year course being made to last 2 years .which has meant my son had done and passed by Easter.
Which is surprising due to the amount of staff charges. He is now just filling in time until mid June with only a business study project to do Just to justify them being there for 4 days a week.
They have no pressure on them which only leads to all sorts of mischief ( not all good)
When you go on open days the sell what a wonderful experience it will be especially if you become a resident!
And he has made some good friends etc.
Accommodation yet another swindle!! Over £650 a month of which £30 is food allowance. This is for 10 months They finish mid June. ( most have gone home already due to boredom) with holiday and work placement They are not in college for 11 weeks of that 10 months ! Of which the college keeps the food allowance!.
My take on this is if you live near the bus route to the college or main line train root put them on it.
And do appreciate that if the 2 year course is passed they can move on to a better college course for 18+ unfortunately they will have been put off college be then..
I have been told a lot more of what goes on ! Your 16yo is in for a shock!!!

 

[whindy]

Apologies for the rant

 

[Fat Lamb]

Apologies for the rant

Is this Askham Bryant?
Im sure most of the staff there are just on a jolly and don’t actually register that they’re supposed to have a job.

 

[Scholsey]

Just passing on my take on 16 + ag college. They may not all be the same .
But probably are not much different.
Our children have to be in education until age of 18, unfortunately, this has led in my opinion to a 1 year course being made to last 2 years .which has meant my son had done and passed by Easter.
Which is surprising due to the amount of staff charges. He is now just filling in time until mid June with only a business study project to do Just to justify them being there for 4 days a week.
They have no pressure on them which only leads to all sorts of mischief ( not all good)
When you go on open days the sell what a wonderful experience it will be especially if you become a resident!
And he has made some good friends etc.
Accommodation yet another swindle!! Over £650 a month of which £30 is food allowance. This is for 10 months They finish mid June. ( most have gone home already due to boredom) with holiday and work placement They are not in college for 11 weeks of that 10 months ! Of which the college keeps the food allowance!.
My take on this is if you live near the bus route to the college or main line train root put them on it.
And do appreciate that if the 2 year course is passed they can move on to a better college course for 18+ unfortunately they will have been put off college be then..
I have been told a lot more of what goes on ! Your 16yo is in for a shock!!!

I fear this is a similar story across many ag colleges, less than half the time at college actually having lectures/practicals due to staff absence or staff just not being arsed! It’s no wonder the ag sector is having major employment issues.

 

[upnortheast]

Colleges are only interested in " bums on seats " especially the 16 to 18 sector. that's how they make money. Most 3 year degree courses could comfortably be done in 2 years if they got stuck in. Though we have a family member doing law and that is hard work..

 

[melted welly]

Yesterday got our apprentice finally signed off on his “12 month” modern apprenticeship which was started in March 2021.

Whilst signing the forms as employer there was a few comments made that “if you’d been up to see us more it wouldn’t of taken so long”.

Riled me up, it was like dealing with a local authority, zero communication then an arsey email asking why certain paperwork hadn’t been done, reply within the hour pointing out it hadn’t been provided, and enter into another week/month of silence. So told them exactly that, unfortunately for the pair who are in charge now, it wasn’t their doing, but they got the flak for their predecessors failings. The lad has performed exceptionally, thru various circumstances he was elevated way beyond what was planned and he took it all in his stride, from never having driven a tractor to combine driver in 15months. And he’s getting grief for not attaching a photo of a tractor and trailer as proof?! FFS.

I’m not sure I gained much from my time at college 25yr ago other than lifelong friendships, but it was full days in the classroom and there must’ve been a consistent 90%+ attendance, regardless of the previous nights antics and resultant hangovers.

Listening to a lad going thru same college now and it’s 3 day week, half day Wednesday for “activities”. Sounds like a waste of time tbh. The discipline of getting oneself out of bed in the morning and adhering to a schedule of commitments seems to have been lost amidst the ability to log on from bed. I think that’s one of the biggest life lessons -keep your commitments.

 

[Sid]

College course for youngsters have to cater for a small proportion of the population, then split that into those that know a bit and those that know nothing and it's not doable.

Signed up for the base course but exam results meant he could get into the higher course. The lack of enthusiasm from the college in him doing the higher course worried me I can say.

Son got frustrated with the simplicity of the course(can't remember it's name) but enjoyed it. The next year was far more engaging but still didn't feel pushed.


I was asked by ex lecturer of mine to get involved in the board as he wanted to drive the college onwards.
Was too much for the powers that be and he moved on. Shame as it was in its heyday THE college to attend for anyone in the South of England and Wales.

Don't get me started on apprenticeships.

You would think if someone didn't respond to an urgent email that you would check the address?
Guess not

 

[capfits]

@melted welly congratulations to the young man. Can we have another 50 in Angus and Mearns?
Unfortunately the one I had, I think about the same time, was not up to it.

@whindy Yes my nephew is currently at Craibstone on HNC and doing one day aweek with me (though with the gappy timetable it could be more) Same issues as you describe poor timetabling, poor availability of the actual lectures. Technically he is not being aided a great deal in getting a fundamental understanding agriculture, soil science at end of year should be the very start, no reinforcing of work already done to build the knowledge. On the practical side it has been a let down and we have put him through the courses required.
In what is increasingly a science driven industry it is not good enough. My father 55 years ago had a significantly better understanding of the fundamentals.

And yes the the halls and accommodation situation is a con for most of these kids.

On the other side it does give them a little space to mature and fill a skin.

 

[The Seeker]

Had a student lambing for us, they said sometime teachers didn’t even turn up. It sounded like a total joke . I felt for them tbh

 

[chipchap]

When I was at Reading Uni. all those years ago we used to have about 34 hours taught every week, often finishing at 6pm. We also had practical work to write up that was expected to stretch the total to 40 hours.
I doubt you would find many lecturers willing to teach until 6 today, let alone students willing to attend.

We had some great lecturers and it was such an experience.

This country is rapidly heading into the dustbin. Too few people willing to put in a weeks work, but all wanting big salaries.

 

[hally]

our lad is at Harper Adams, just had 4 weeks off for Easter and has gone back for 6 weeks then off for 12 weeks in the summer…….if reincarnated I am coming back as a college lecturer.

 

[whindy]

Is this Askham Bryant?
Im sure most of the staff there are just on a jolly and don’t actually register that they’re supposed to have a job.

Yes

 

[melted welly]

College course for youngsters have to cater for a small proportion of the population, then split that into those that know a bit and those that know nothing and it's not doable.

Signed up for the base course but exam results meant he could get into the higher course. The lack of enthusiasm from the college in him doing the higher course worried me I can say.

Son got frustrated with the simplicity of the course(can't remember it's name) but enjoyed it. The next year was far more engaging but still didn't feel pushed.


I was asked by ex lecturer of mine to get involved in the board as he wanted to drive the college onwards.
Was too much for the powers that be and he moved on. Shame as it was in its heyday THE college to attend for anyone in the South of England and Wales.

Don't get me started on apprenticeships.

You would think if someone didn't respond to an urgent email that you would check the address?
Guess not

Don’t misunderstand, we had the email addresses, office numbers and mobile numbers of the lecturers, both of us were contacting them, made no difference at their end, just ignored the communication, or secretary made up some guff. It was sold as remote learning, it was certainly that.

The woman in charge now seemed to have a bit more life about her though.

 

[Scholsey]

Have a 4 day a week at college 1 on farm lad here and he hasn’t even done his loadall test yet, how a work based student is supposed to work on a farm without having a loadall ticket is beyond me.

Apparently Claas UK is so fed up with the calibre of students coming out of colleges they are happy to take the right ones without qualifications and take them right through with their own training.

Everyone bangs on about NFU not being involved in court cases etc but I think the pi55 poor state of Ag colleges needs to be a priority for NFU.

 

[warksfarmer]

Not just ag colleges it seems. A friends son has gone to one in a local town. Full time course is actually 1 day a week 9-3 less 1 hour lunch. It’s pathetic and they feel let down and it looks like he’ll have to do his a-levels starting this sept a year late to get anywhere in life.

 

[Sid]

Don’t misunderstand, we had the email addresses, office numbers and mobile numbers of the lecturers, both of us were contacting them, made no difference at their end, just ignored the communication, or secretary made up some guff. It was sold as remote learning, it was certainly that.

The woman in charge now seemed to have a bit more life about her though.

Staff were issue here too.

When email came through its was listed the hours they worked.
To be fair it was easier to do that than the ones they didn't!!

 

[Johnnyboxer]

When I was at Reading Uni. all those years ago we used to have about 34 hours taught every week, often finishing at 6pm. We also had practical work to write up that was expected to stretch the total to 40 hours.
I doubt you would find many lecturers willing to teach until 6 today, let alone students willing to attend.

We had some great lecturers and it was such an experience.

This country is rapidly heading into the dustbin. Too few people willing to put in a weeks work, but all wanting big salaries.

That’s true
40 years ago when I went to a County College, Bicton
We only had Weds afternoons off, but this was supplemented by 9-11am and then a 30 minute written exam on a Saturday morning
So a full 5 day week & lectures starting at 9 & ending at 5pm daily
Practical farm work was from 6am if you were rostered
We all loved it and it instilled a good work ethic from a young age
Nowadays that seems to have slipped

 

[Sid]

Have a 4 day a week at college 1 on farm lad here and he hasn’t even done his loadall test yet, how a work based student is supposed to work on a farm without having a loadall ticket is beyond me.

Apparently Claas UK is so fed up with the calibre of students coming out of colleges they are happy to take the right ones without qualifications and take them right through with their own training.

Everyone bangs on about NFU not being involved in court cases etc but I think the pi55 poor state of Ag colleges needs to be a priority for NFU.

Exactly, no chainsaw, no quad bike, etc

Or should that be done on farm as more practical and leave the tech side to colleges? Course dependent I guess.

Plenty of other organisations, such as AHDB, that could help. Should we have a industry levy to help, we would then have more control as well.

Had a really enthusiastic young lad who had a bursary from NFU present to us this week. So the encouragement is there.

My son also had one from NFU/dairies when he went to college as well.

 

[Sid]

That’s true
40 years ago when I went to a County College, Bicton
We only had Weds afternoons off, but this was supplemented by 9-11am and then a 30 minute written exam on a Saturday morning
So a full 5 day week & lectures starting at 9 & ending at 5pm daily
Practical farm work was from 6am if you were rostered
We all loved it and it instilled a good work ethic from a young age
Nowadays that seems to have slipped

Slipped? It's non existent!

College farm is a shambles,the life blood has been sucked out of the industry

 

[Nearly]

Is this Askham Bryant?
Im sure most of the staff there are just on a jolly and don’t actually register that they’re supposed to have a job.

Mrs N got a maternity cover job there a few years ago. All lecture notes from full time tutor supposed to be available for her.

Nothing available for even the second day of term so she told them to get stuffed.
They tried to hold her to the contract that they hadn't found time to give her.