A report on the review of the Teagasc Green Cert is expected to be completed in 2017. Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, Tony Pettit, head of education at Teagasc, said that although it has changed a lot in content, it has been 30 years since the Green Cert course has been fundamentally reviewed.

“We will be looking at the competencies, needs, skills and knowledge our future farmers will require,” said Pettit. “We have embarked on very extensive stakeholder consultation to do that.”

The Teagasc strategic education vision project will be running over the next few months, and “hopefully in early 2017 we will prepare a report which will give some shape and direction to how Teagasc might address education needs in the future,” he said.

Teagasc is looking at a longer-term vision for education, in terms of what the needs of the industry will be in the next ten years.

“Things like discussion groups have been included, and new requirements in breeding, etc, so it’s continuously being revamped,” Pettit said.

Leaving Certificate

The reform will not affect those intending to do a Green Cert straight after they finish the 2016 Leaving Certificate. The agricultural science exam takes place today with 91% of the 8,137 students taking the subject doing higher level.

Seperately, Over 20,000 people attended the inaugural University College Dublin Festival which took place at Belfield last Saturday, allowing visitors the chance to interact with staff and explore what UCD has to offer.