Agriculture (NC)

NC - UHI Orkney

Course description

The course is a progression from the NQ Agriculture at SCQF5 or the SVQ in Agriculture at SCQF5. It is aimed at people who are moving towards a job on a farm for the first time; are wanting to learn about farming whilst not necessarily coming from a farming background; people working in farming with no formal qualification who want to improve their career prospects; are looking to try something new and get ideas for a career path leading to higher national qualifications.

There are 12 modules required for this award, and 16 units are offered in total. A selection of some of the modules for NC: Livestock husbandry, Combinable Crop Production, Tractor Operations with Attachments, Farm Maintenance Skills, Soils and Fertility, Grassland Production, Beef Production, Sheep Production.

Entry requirements

Applicants should have either 3 x National 5 qualifications (including numeracy), and NQ in Agriculture at SCQF5 or an SVQ in Agriculture at SCQF5.

Progression

This qualification is aimed at meeting the needs of two distinct potential groups of applicants. This qualification will cater for school leavers who have a strong and genuine interest in agriculture; and it is anticipated that such candidates will have achieved formal school qualifications and consider further education as a route toward full time employment, or progression to higher level or work based qualifications in agriculture. The qualification will also cater for those who are in employment who have completed an SVQ at SCQF5 and wish to develop a broader range of agricultural skills for the purpose of Continuous Professional Development (CPD).