CAFRE’s Level II Agricultural Business Operations Course

The CAFRE Agricultural Business Operations [ABO] Level II Certificate Course is open for 2021/22 applications from 1 May to 31 July.
By The Newsroom
Published 22nd May 2021, 07:40 BST
Jayne Harkness-Bones from Crumlin, Co Antrim who completed her Level 2 Agriculture Business Operations course in sheep production at Greenmount Campus in March 2021 pictured at her place of work at Ulster Wool in Muckamore.Jayne Harkness-Bones from Crumlin, Co Antrim who completed her Level 2 Agriculture Business Operations course in sheep production at Greenmount Campus in March 2021 pictured at her place of work at Ulster Wool in Muckamore.
Jayne Harkness-Bones from Crumlin, Co Antrim who completed her Level 2 Agriculture Business Operations course in sheep production at Greenmount Campus in March 2021 pictured at her place of work at Ulster Wool in Muckamore.

Course Manager, Kenneth Johnston, explained that the training will be delivered over 20 weeks from October 2021 to the end of February 2022.

The course will be delivered using a blended approach of online and face to face delivery which proved to be a successful way of learning during 2020/21. He also advised that the course will be available at the three CAFRE Campus locations with classes in beef, sheep and dairying being offered.

Jayne Harkness-Bones from Crumlin, Co Antrim who completed the sheep production course at Greenmount Campus earlier in the year says: “I really enjoyed the course and learned a lot from it. The course suited me as it was held in the evenings and I work as Joint Depot manager of Ulster Wool at Muckamore during the day. I have always had a keen interest in sheep having grown up on the home farm where we run a flock of 90 mule ewes and 60 Suffolk cross hoggets as well as some beef cattle.

Jayne Harkness-Bones from Crumlin, Co Antrim who completed her Level 2 Agriculture Business Operations course in sheep production at Greenmount Campus in March 2021 pictured at her place of work at Ulster Wool in Muckamore.Jayne Harkness-Bones from Crumlin, Co Antrim who completed her Level 2 Agriculture Business Operations course in sheep production at Greenmount Campus in March 2021 pictured at her place of work at Ulster Wool in Muckamore.
Jayne Harkness-Bones from Crumlin, Co Antrim who completed her Level 2 Agriculture Business Operations course in sheep production at Greenmount Campus in March 2021 pictured at her place of work at Ulster Wool in Muckamore.

“I always wanted to be involved in agriculture but on leaving school I trained and worked as a Psychotherapist for a number of years before changing to a career in agriculture. I decided to apply for the level 2 course as I did not have an agricultural qualification and I can truly say it was one of the best decisions that I have made and that I now value my level 2 certificate as much, if not more than my Masters from Queens University Belfast as it is agriculture that is my true passion.

“It was great to meet up with other likeminded people and we had a large class of 30 people all with different backgrounds and reasons to be there.

“I wanted to do the course to gain more knowledge which I certainly did and I enjoyed the whole course and gained so much from it. I especially enjoyed the lectures in grassland production which opened my eyes to a whole new area that I hadn’t thought too much about before. I have no hesitation in recommending the course to anyone interested in agriculture and hoping to achieve a worthwhile qualification. The course has given me the confidence to make informed management decisions on the home farm and I am now looking forward to starting a level 3 course in autumn 2021.”

You can book a place on a course by visiting the CAFRE website at: https://www.cafre.ac.uk/business-courses/level-2-agricultural-business-operations/

Jayne Harkness-Bones from Crumlin, Co Antrim who completed her Level 2 Agriculture Business Operations course in sheep production at Greenmount Campus in March 2021 pictured on her home farm.Jayne Harkness-Bones from Crumlin, Co Antrim who completed her Level 2 Agriculture Business Operations course in sheep production at Greenmount Campus in March 2021 pictured on her home farm.
Jayne Harkness-Bones from Crumlin, Co Antrim who completed her Level 2 Agriculture Business Operations course in sheep production at Greenmount Campus in March 2021 pictured on her home farm.

A range of evenings, Monday to Wednesday will be available, however, choices will become more limited as classes fill up. Therefore, it is important that you book early to ensure you get the training event which best suits your needs.

The cost of the course is £150.00.

The CAFRE Agricultural Business Operations (Level II Certificate) qualification meets the agricultural training eligibility requirements for the Young Farmers’ Payment/Regional Reserve Scheme.

If you require any assistance when booking a place on this training, you can call CAFRE Industry Training Administration on 028 9442 6880 or by emailing [email protected].

Related topics:Jayne Harkness-BonesKenneth Johnston