Educational opportunities open up in agriculture at Clonakilty and UCC

A NUMBER of agricultural education opportunities have opened up in Cork, with new farming apprenticeships commencing next month including one in Clonakilty Agricultural College next month and applications open for a €16,000 scholarship at UCC.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris has confirmed a farming apprenticeships will commence in September.

The two-year Farm Technician apprenticeship will be delivered through Teagasc Clonakilty Agricultural College in Darrara and will train apprentices to operate successfully within the Irish farming sector gaining experience in operations, compliance standards, and regulatory measures. A Farm Manager apprenticeship is also available through Teagasc Kildalton College Piltown, Co Kilkenny.

Fine Gael Senator Tim Lombard said ‘Ensuring that the new Farm Manager and Farm Technician programmes commenced this year is something that I have consistently pushed for and I’m delighted that Minister Harris has delivered and confirmed the September 2023 start date. This is excellent news for the agricultural sector and will allow the next generation of farmers to access the education they want while still working on the farm’.

 Meanwhile Irish diary body Ornua is inviting applications for a unique scholarship opportunity worth €16,000 promoting sustainability in the agribusiness sector.

The Masters of Science (MSc) degree in Sustainable Development, Agri-Food and Co-operatives will study collaborative approaches into the study of sustainable development and agri-food.

It will be held at the Cork University Business School at UCC, and is being funded by Ornua, Ireland’s largest exporter of dairy products and owner of the Kerrygold brand. 

The scholarship will include a combination of work placements and research-based learning, and cover areas such as environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), green energy, logistics, project management, agri-advisory and consultancy and research.

Dr Olive McCarthy, Programme Director of the MSc Sustainable Development, Agri-Food and Co-operatives, UCC said: ‘The strategic vision of Cork University Business School focuses on creating responsible leaders to design and deliver sustainable business. The Ornua scholarship on the MSc Sustainable Development, Agri-Food and Co-operatives closely aligns to this vision in supporting and nurturing talented students to become the sustainability leaders of tomorrow.’

As part of the Ornua scholarship, the successful scholar will complete a work placement with Ornua in 2024.

 Ornua is Ireland’s largest exporter of Irish dairy products and has annualised sales of over €3.4bn. Headquartered in Dublin,  Dave Fitzgerald, Sustainability Director, Ornua said: ‘At Ornua, we firmly believe that investing in education and developing talent is key to driving sustainable development and securing a prosperous future for the entire Irish agri-food sector, including our member co-operatives and the 14,000 Irish dairy farming families they represent.’

The scholarship is worth €16,000. The closing date for applications is Friday, August 21st.  See www.ucc.ie/en/scholarships/postgraduate/blschpg/b-lpgornuasch/