Midlands TY agriculture programme goes national

Agri Aware, in partnership with the Laois Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB), are delighted to announce the launch of its transition year programme, Intro to Ag, which will now be eligible for all schools nationwide.

The nationwide rollout of the programme was made official on Friday May 16, at the inaugural Intro to Ag Peer Day, at the LOETB Midlands Skill Centre in Tullamore.

The event marked the conclusion of the pilot year and was the springboard of the launch of the programme nationwide beginning in September.

The purpose of the Intro to Ag programme is to attract the next generation of students to study agriculture science for the Leaving Certificate curriculum and to pursue a career in the industry, in an effort to future-proof a sector that has a growing demand for agricultural science graduates to take on a variety of roles across the industry.

The programme gives students a flavour of what to expect when studying the subject for the Leaving Certificate and offers an insight into career opportunities.

On Friday, schools presented projects from their studies of the programme.

Students who took part this year will hear from those working in the agri-industry who have come from farming and non-farming backgrounds and that have carved out successful careers in the industry.

Agri Aware chairman Shay Galvin said: “The Intro to Ag pilot has been incredibly successful and it’s great to close out the year with the inaugural Peer Day for the programme.

"The feedback from teachers and students from the LOETB schools has been excellent and we look forward to welcoming those teachers and students on Friday and also bringing the programme nationwide to transition year students in September.”