‘Practical makes perfect’ at CAFRE Loughry Campus

For those considering a more practically based path through their education after GCSE’s, the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) can provide an attractive alternative.
By The Newsroom
Published 29th Jul 2020, 07:28 BST
National Diplma Students Chloe Hepburn (Castledawson) and Liza Hughes (Dungannon) develop their skills in sausage manufacture at Loughry Campus, as part of a sausage making competition to see which team could produce the best product.National Diplma Students Chloe Hepburn (Castledawson) and Liza Hughes (Dungannon) develop their skills in sausage manufacture at Loughry Campus, as part of a sausage making competition to see which team could produce the best product.
National Diplma Students Chloe Hepburn (Castledawson) and Liza Hughes (Dungannon) develop their skills in sausage manufacture at Loughry Campus, as part of a sausage making competition to see which team could produce the best product.

For a start, those who choose to enrol in National Diploma courses in Food Science and Manufacturing Technology in Food Nutrition and Health at CAFRE will have access to the College’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities at the Loughry Campus in Cookstown.

During these courses, classroom based learning is enhanced by the extensive use made of the bespoke Food Technology Centre. This allows students to experience real world production facilities on a smaller scale.

Students also get the opportunity to manufacture products using the dairy, bakery, meat, and fruit and vegetable processing areas. Food production is supported by laboratory facilities where all food manufactured is tested to ensure food safety standards have been adhered to.

National Diploma students get hands on experience manufacturing bakery products and learning the secrets to manufacturing high quality pastry based productsNational Diploma students get hands on experience manufacturing bakery products and learning the secrets to manufacturing high quality pastry based products
National Diploma students get hands on experience manufacturing bakery products and learning the secrets to manufacturing high quality pastry based products

Consumer research is also carried out on site, with finished product sampling in our sensory suite to assess taste, appearance and consumer acceptability. This opportunity to study the complete food production chain is unique to CAFRE.

CAFRE continues to accept applications for September 2020 entry on the National Diploma Food Programme delivered at Loughry Campus. An application can be made by visiting www.cafre.ac.uk. And, to discuss your options further please contact the team on the FREEPHONE number 0800 028 4291.

The College CAFRE are committed to providing a safe experience for new and returning students at the Enniskillen, Greenmount and Loughry campuses. The health and welfare of students, staff and wider community continues to be the main priority as they all adapt to supporting learning during the global coronavirus pandemic.

Face-to-face delivery continues to be CAFRE’s preferred option and the College are making plans to do so safely, following expert advice. Practical learning is an important aspect of the National Diploma Food Programme and delivery of practical learning opportunities will be prioritised.

ND1 student Joshua Redmond (Ballymena) gets hands on experience at bakery manufacture, learning to secret to manufacturing good quality bakery productsND1 student Joshua Redmond (Ballymena) gets hands on experience at bakery manufacture, learning to secret to manufacturing good quality bakery products
ND1 student Joshua Redmond (Ballymena) gets hands on experience at bakery manufacture, learning to secret to manufacturing good quality bakery products

Where it is not possible to deliver all aspects of the programme face-to-face, a blended learning approach will be adopted which means some elements of your programme may be delivered by remote learning lectures.

The residential accommodation, dining rooms and library facilities will be available from September 2020 in line the Public Health Agency guidance at that time. Students are asked to regularly review the FAQs and student handbook provided on the CAFRE website. You should also continue to refer to the Public Health Agency website for the latest health advice.

Related topics:GCSECollege