Agricultural Mechanisation Degree Course

Following a recent article in the careers pages of Irish Country Living about the Bachelor of Science (Agricultural Mechanisation) course in IT Tralee, FTMTA has received many calls from students who will sit the Leaving Certificate in 2016 and from the parents of other such students. All are keen to know how to go about contacting potential sponsor firms to provide the required work placements to the student during the three years of this very exciting course.

The course will continue to be a direct entry program outside of the CAO process and to apply for a place on the course potential students must have been accepted by a sponsoring farm machinery business who will provide the required work placements. Successful applicants will also require at least 5 passes in the Leaving Certificate and three of those passes must be at least of C grade in Maths, English and a Science.

The Association advises that interested secondary school students should use the Member Links page of the FTMTA website at www.ftmta.ie to identify FTMTA member farm machinery businesses in their area. This section of the website is searchable on a county by county basis and candidates should not limit themselves to too small an area.

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 doing the course and  who will be on placement in the workshop of the business.

The course will be 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 program in the coming years. FTMTA is encouraging interested students who will sit the Leaving Cert in 2016 to make themselves known at an early point to potential sponsor firms

Be a part of a stronger farm machinery industry – join the Farm Tractor and Machinery Trade Association – contact FTMTA at 045 409309 or membership@ftmta.ie for details.