Have you got kids at college?

[Cab-over Pete]

Aye-up,

If so, are they getting offered short courses and extra qualifications? I’m talking about things like quad bike certs, PA spraying certs, telescopic loader tickets, etc etc.


You know, the basics so that when they leave college they are farm ready and can compete in the jobs market.

It seems my lad is being offered very little. He hasn’t even picked up a single spanner on his course to the point they haven’t even shown him how to change oil and a filter. He’s not made a spark with a welder or a grinder and although the academic stuff seems a bit challenging at times there is hardly any practical skills being taught. Except basic fencing and faffing about with a strimmer.

Tractor skills just seemed to be reversing the same tiny trailer round the same corner to the point where the more practical lads got together and said they weren’t doing it any more and asked to be given something better to do.

I’m getting fed up with hearing he’s been standing about watching other students do stuff because there are so few resources to go round.

Cheers, Pete.

 

[ski]

We ended up using local training group, HAU were very dilatory blaming Covid. Generally they seem to been very keen on doing the minimum.

 

[ollie989898]

Cripes Pete, by the sounds of it you will have to organise all this yourself. A shame because in my day at college we were basically expected to do all these courses whilst we were there.

The second he finishes college get him signed up and make him do all the necessary courses. You'll have to pay I guess. Tell him to put the word around you are organising it and you might get enough numbers together that the trainers will come to your yard to do it.

 

[Flatlander]

I never went to college but thru ATB I did numerous coarses which were a wealth of knowledge. Hard to believe the number of certificates and certifications you need there now. Hope it doesn’t get to that here.

 

[Still Farming]

Aye-up,

If so, are they getting offered short courses and extra qualifications? I’m talking about things like quad bike certs, PA spraying certs, telescopic loader tickets, etc etc.


You know, the basics so that when they leave college they are farm ready and can compete in the jobs market.

It seems my lad is being offered very little. He hasn’t even picked up a single spanner on his course to the point they haven’t even shown him how to change oil and a filter. He’s not made a spark with a welder or a grinder and although the academic stuff seems a bit challenging at times there is hardly any practical skills being taught. Except basic fencing and faffing about with a strimmer.

Tractor skills just seemed to be reversing the same tiny trailer round the same corner to the point where the more practical lads got together and said they weren’t doing it any more and asked to be given something better to do.

I’m getting fed up with hearing he’s been standing about watching other students do stuff because there are so few resources to go round.

Cheers, Pete.

Where is he and what course?

 

[Phil P]

Aye-up,

If so, are they getting offered short courses and extra qualifications? I’m talking about things like quad bike certs, PA spraying certs, telescopic loader tickets, etc etc.


You know, the basics so that when they leave college they are farm ready and can compete in the jobs market.

It seems my lad is being offered very little. He hasn’t even picked up a single spanner on his course to the point they haven’t even shown him how to change oil and a filter. He’s not made a spark with a welder or a grinder and although the academic stuff seems a bit challenging at times there is hardly any practical skills being taught. Except basic fencing and faffing about with a strimmer.

Tractor skills just seemed to be reversing the same tiny trailer round the same corner to the point where the more practical lads got together and said they weren’t doing it any more and asked to be given something better to do.

I’m getting fed up with hearing he’s been standing about watching other students do stuff because there are so few resources to go round.

Cheers, Pete.

What course is he doing Pete?

Which college, you don’t have to name names if don’t want.

Long time since I was a college but we did get tractors in the field and do some ploughing and proper skills etc, still wasn’t challenging to most who’d been brought up on a farm though. Wasn’t massive kit but you know your self how much kit costs! We also pulled engines to bits and rebuilt them so they had to run, teaching basic mechanical skills. Again the trouble is a lot of modern kit is way too expensive for collages to buy and let students pull it to bits.

Also the trouble with additional qualifications is the extra cost of the training and tests.
Has he asked if the college will be doing an of the additional qualifications in the future that he’d like to do? Don’t be surprised if they offer the courses but at a cost!

 

[Scholsey]

.

You know, the basics so that when they leave college they are farm ready and can compete in the jobs market.

It seems my lad is being offered very little. He hasn’t even picked up a single spanner on his course to the point they haven’t even shown him how to change oil and a filter. He’s not made a spark with a welder or a grinder and although the academic stuff seems a bit challenging at times there is hardly any practical skills being taught. Except basic fencing and faffing about with a strimmer.

Tractor skills just seemed to be reversing the same tiny trailer round the same corner to the point where the more practical lads got together and said they weren’t doing it any more and asked to be given something better to do.

I’m getting fed up with hearing he’s been standing about watching other students do stuff because there are so few resources to go round.

Cheers, Pete.

How many are on his course? Have heard there are 75 first years doing the ND equiv at hartpury in Gloucestershire, with loadall, quadbike and pa1+2 costing £2000+ combined that makes it a expensive hobby!

The handler course would be difficult for inexperienced operators to pass many of which could be on your sons course, can’t imagine a ag colleges insurance bill being too pleasant.

It’s great that there is so much interest all of a sudden in ag jobs and they should be nurtured but think wokism has made a fully functioning ag college a very difficult thing to run when they probably have the same budget/student as the local 6th form who don’t need 100,000’s of pounds worth of kit to teach.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

I don’t mind having to pay so that’s not the point.

At the open day before he decided to go to the college I asked if all these things would be offered and was told yes. All he has done is the telescopic loader.

We have friends with lads at other colleges being offered more than my lad.

I am just a bit pee’d off that a centre of education seems to be offering very little in the way of what’s useful.

 

[Nearly]

Mini Me is at Harper.
They got him through his PA1 etc but only the arable students wanted that.
Everyone put themselves down for telehandler and trailer tests which haven't materialised.
I found him a telehandler test local to home before he started at work in 3rd year.

I think the students have to be more proactive for themselves this year as colleges are pushed for time and test places due to the covid hoops.

 

[Still Farming]

.


How many are on his course? Have heard there are 75 first years doing the ND equiv at hartpury in Gloucestershire, with loadall, quadbike and pa1+2 costing £2000+ combined that makes it a expensive hobby!

The handler course would be difficult for inexperienced operators to pass many of which could be on your sons course, can’t imagine a ag colleges insurance bill being too pleasant.

It’s great that there is so much interest all of a sudden in ag jobs and they should be nurtured but think wokism has made a fully functioning ag college a very difficult thing to run when they probably have the same budget/student as the local 6th form who don’t need 100,000’s of pounds worth of kit to teach.

Ag coures at Hartpury have lots of student this year but other agri tech etc only have small groups and have tremendous hands on ,making, stripping, repairing all sorts of machines and processes.
Yes the lantra courses cost but every farm needs continuous professional development (cpd) so can absorb courses.
Rough terrain forklift telehandler, Chainsaw ,PA 1 and PA 2 etc are not that expensive and expertly given there too.

 

[Bramble]

I’ve had 2 students from Moreton Morrell over the last few years. Not sure what courses they were studying but neither were offered spraying, quadbike, telescopic, or chainsaw courses even at a discounted rate.

I ended up just sending them on the courses myself to make sure I was covered

 

[Still Farming]

I don’t mind having to pay so that’s not the point.

At the open day before he decided to go to the college I asked if all these things would be offered and was told yes. All he has done is the telescopic loader.

We have friends with lads at other colleges being offered more than my lad.

I am just a bit pee’d off that a centre of education seems to be offering very little in the way of what’s useful.

Where is he?

 

[Cab-over Pete]

I think covid is a bloody good excuse to not bother doing anything in just about every walk of life.
But it’s not good enough. I’ve had to bend over backwards to keep my customers served with lime and haulage.
In tricky times you go the extra mile not just shrug and forget it.

 

[Still Farming]

I think covid is a bloody good excuse to not bother doing anything in just about every walk of life.
But it’s not good enough. I’ve had to bend over backwards to keep my customers served with lime and haulage.
In tricky times you go the extra mile not just shrug and forget it.

Carried on as normal at Hartpury right through subject to pcr tests, distancing etc but all went well.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

He’s at Moreton Morrell.

He was only 16 when he started his Level 3 Extended Diploma so didn’t want to stay away from home. The next nearest college had a middle year out thus extending his college course by a year which he didn’t want either.

We liked the look of Moulton, Brooksby and Hartpury and I would recommend them to anyone over Moreton Morrell I’m sorry to say.

 

[Cowslip]

We stopped taking students from ag colleges for this very reason, they have done absolutely no practicals whatsoever, have no tickets and then we are expected to teach them the basics, they can't turn a sheep over, don't even know where basic injection sites or even which hole is which at the back end of an animal!!!! When I was at college we were offered the training for all the courses we could possibly want to do and lots of practical work, sadly this does not seem to be the case anymore.

 

[startinghandle]

I remember my uncle telling me when I was 19 it's what you learn and find out for yourself in life is what counts... how right he was and I am still learning

 

[Still Farming]

He’s at Moreton Morrell.

He was only 16 when he started his Level 3 Extended Diploma so didn’t want to stay away from home. The next nearest college had a middle year out thus extending his college course by a year which he didn’t want either.

We liked the look of Moulton, Brooksby and Hartpury and I would recommend them to anyone over Moreton Morrell I’m sorry to say.

Level 3 extended diploma in what ?
Agriculture or land based management and technology , or agri tech?

 

[Cab-over Pete]

Agriculture

I remember my uncle telling me when I was 19 it's what you learn and find out for yourself in life is what counts... how right he was and I am still learning

Yes, that’s very important, but I expect you were told that before education was compulsory up to age 18.

If they have to be there by law, there should be minimum education standards by law. And those standards should be high. He’s predicted Distinction * in his academic work so I’m happy with that side of things but they’ve failed so far in providing the practical knowledge I asked for.

 

[Kevtherev]

How long has he been there Pete?