£10m agricultural college unveils new qualifications to support future of farming

New HE qualifications at a state-of-the-art land-based college will support the future of farming in Wales.

Coleg Cambria unveiled Higher National Certificate (HNC) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes aimed at the next generation of farm managers, shepherds, farmers, and leaders in the sector.

Based at the college’s Llysfasi site, near Ruthin – which recently unveiled the £10m Hwb Arloesi (Innovation Hub) and submitted plans for a 50-bedroom student accommodation building – the courses include modules on a wide range of subjects.

Among them are Business and Business Environment, Managing a Successful Project, Principles of Livestock Production, Animal Health and Welfare, Land-based Machinery and Technology, and Rural Business Administration and Accounting.

Cambria’s Dean of Access and Higher Education (HE) Emma Hurst said: “These qualifications provide students with a broad knowledge base, higher technical skills and opportunities to go on and pursue a wide range of careers within land-based industries.

“As well as having access to the amazing team of lecturers and visiting speakers at Llysfasi, those joining the HND or HNC courses can benefit from having dairy, suckler and sheep enterprises on-site, a personal tutor for one-to-one support, and real-time, real-life experience utilising practical skills on a 1,000-acre working, commercial farm.

“With advances in precision agriculture, smart technology and new farming methods, there is no better place to learn, as Cambria is renowned for its standing at the forefront of advances in agriculture education.”

The cutting-edge Hwb Arloesi was backed with more than £5.9m from the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme.

The 1,095 square metre, two-storey carbon-neutral complex was built by Wrexham-based Read Construction and includes a library, classrooms, laboratories, a coffee shop, climbing wall, meeting spaces, atrium, a HE (Higher Education) centre and wellbeing hub.

Head of Llysfasi Elin Roberts said: “The building is incredible and already a big hit with the students and staff, as the equipment, the meeting and academic and workshop spaces and all of the rooms and resources are incredible,” said Elin.

“Students enrolling on FE and HE Agriculture courses will have access to the best teaching in a welcoming, state-of-the-art environment, unmatched in this region – this is definitely the time to choose Coleg Cambria for the next step of your academic or career journey in the farming sector.”