FTMTA news round-up

Atkins Birr Open Days

FTMTA member firm Atkins will hold two open days to officially open and showcase their new premises at Syngefield Industrial Estate in Birr, Co Offaly, on Friday 3 November and Saturday 4 November.

The new depot, with a staff of six, will be managed by Birr native and long-time Atkins employee Trevor Richardson and will operate as a retail branch for the Fendt range in the midlands.

Trevor and the team have been working hard in recent weeks to transform their new premises which will also provide a hub for the Atkins wholesale fertiliser spreader distribution business in support of their nationwide Bredal and Bogballe dealer network.

Bachelor of Science (agricultural mechanisation)

September brought the start of the first college year with students at all three years of the Bachelor of Science (Agricultural Mechanisation) degree course in IT Tralee and we look forward to the first cohort graduating from the programme during 2018.

This course is the result of co-operation between the college and the farm machinery industry to design and develop an appropriate training scheme for new entrants to the service role in the industry. The course is a mix of college-based learning and work placement over the three years with the student required to carry out a substantial body of online learning when on work placement.

FTMTA believes that this course will produce the calibre of qualified personnel required by the industry and its customers in the future and the association encourages its member firms to support the new programme in the coming years.

The course is a direct entry programme and, to apply for a place, prospective students, in addition to meeting the required educational standard, must supply proof of acceptance by a sponsoring farm machinery business who will provide the required work placements.

Obtaining the required placement has proved a difficulty for some prospective students in other years and the association advises that interested secondary school students should attempt to identify potential placement opportunities as early as possible rather than leaving this until next summer.

Students can use the member links page of the FTMTA website at www.ftmta.ie to identify FTMTA member farm machinery businesses in their area.

FTMTA recommends that a written request in relation to the required work placement sponsorship should be sent to the dealer principal or, in the case of larger businesses, to the service manager. This should be followed up by a request to meet in person with the decision maker on such matters in the business.

A far better impression will be made if all contact in this context is made and driven by the student rather than by their parents – it is after all the student rather than the parent who will be taking the course and who will be on placement in the workshop of the business.