This article is from page 51 of the 2007-09-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 51 JPG
MACRA NA FEIRME’S national president, Catherine Buckley be- lieves education is the way forward in farming.
Speaking at the launch of the Tea- gasc programme for Adult and Life Long Learning she said providing “the best possible educational oppor- tunities to farmers would be the key to giving Irish agriculture a competi- tive advantage in the future.”
The Macra president pointed out that her organisation had long been involved in campaigning for 1im- provements in agricultural educa-
tion standards and she welcomed the fact that the existing 180 hour course will, in the coming year, be replaced with the new advanced certificate in agriculture. “While the new course will require a greater commitment from participants, it will leave them far better equipped to deal with the demands of modern farming. This new course will create a pathway for young farmers to acquire a broader and more life-long agricultural edu- cation,’ she said.
Ms Buckley pointed out that while it was vital that Teagasc continued to develop top-class specialised cours- es targeted at full-time farmers, she
said that Macra also fully supported the provision of agricultural training courses to part-time farmers or those who could not attend agricultural college.
“The responsibilities and pressures on so called part-time farmers are just as onerous as those on farmers with no off-farm employment and it is important for the future of the industry that this category of farmer has access to properly structured training,’ she said.
The leader of the young farmers’ or- ganisation said that in addition to the formal courses offered by Teagasc, the importance of various discussion
group Sessions, also facilitated by the organisation, should not be under-es- UbeereInoren
“In the last 12 months, Macra has established a number of specialised discussion groups for young farmers around the country which are facili- tated by professional Teagasc advis- ae
“The demand for this type of edu- cational opportunity has been huge as it provides a chance for young like-minded farmers to meet and net- work with others in the industry, and in turn assists them in making bet- ter decisions in relation to the future growth of their business,’ she said.