Agriculture – Level 2

Required qualifications

To be accepted onto the course, you will need a minimum of 3 GCSEs at Grade 3 or above, one of which must be either English or maths, or equivalent qualifications, or you will have passed a relevant Level 1 qualification and also have a Grade 3 or above in either GCSE English or maths.

What skills will I develop?

Over the course of the year, you can expect to cover skills and knowledge relating to the following units:

• Health and safety for the land-based industries
• Agricultural power units and machinery operation
• Crop husbandry
• Farm animal production
• Farm estate maintenance
• Physiology of plants and animals
• Working in the agricultural industry

Careers

Once you have successfully completed this qualification, you could progress to study one of our Level 3 courses in Agriculture or Agricultural Engineering, which could then lead to a greater range of more diverse career opportunities.

Achievement of this qualification also demonstrates to an employer that you are able to undertake routine tasks in junior or assistant roles such as a general farm worker or trainee stockperson.

Work experience

Throughout the year, you will be expected to complete a minimum of 150 hours of work experience in a relevant industry setting and will be responsible for sourcing your own work experience placement.

Work experience is designed to further develop and enhance the skills being taught during your college practical sessions and is an important part of the course ahead of starting your career.

English and maths

If you are aged 16-18 and don’t have a Grade 4 or above in English or maths, you will be required to attend weekly GCSE classes during your time at college.

English and maths skills will also be embedded within all units of your main qualification.

The benefits of improving these skills are not to be underestimated as they can help lead to better employment prospects and higher earning potential in your chosen career.

Other important information

No specific uniform is required, but you will need a pair of overalls, a pair of waterproofs, and a pair of safety boots and/or wellies with a steel toe cap, for practical sessions.

It would also be helpful to have access to both a computer or laptop and the internet in order to be able to complete independent research and assignments at home.

We would also recommend reading industry magazines such as Farmers Guardian and Farmers Weekly to stay up to date with the latest agricultural news.