MA Agriculture SCQF Level 6

Programme overview

This is an on-farm work-based programme which develops your skills and knowledge in agriculture. The programme will teach you how to monitor and maintain health, safety and security as well as environmental good practice, and how to manage your business performance to succeed in a competitive industry.

What is a Modern Apprenticeship (MA)?
Modern Apprenticeships are work-based pathways to recognised industry qualifications. They provide employers support to develop a strong workforce by teaching new and existing employees valuable skills and knowledge directly relevant to their business. For employees, they are a pathway to industry and nationally recognised qualifications.

How does it work?
When you study a MA with us, we deliver the programme, provide your training, assessments and qualification recognition. We also access funding on behalf of you and your employer.

In an MA, you’ll immediately put your knowledge and learning into practice, making a real contribution to improving business productivity.

As well as gaining experience in the workplace, you’ll be supported by 'off-the-job training' at college. MA’s typically take between 12 and 18 months and each provides a route or pathway to further skills opportunities and potential progression.

Virtual Experience

Take a look around the SRUC Virtual Experience for lots of great student videos and examples of what it’s like to study our courses, along with campus and facility tours.

SRUC holds open days regularly. Visit our listings page for details of our up-coming events.

Entry requirements

You must be employed or have a firm offer of employment within the industry throughout your studies, and have a satisfactory standard of literacy and numeracy.

What you'll learn

Crops
Specialist units will teach you how to prepare planting equipment and plant crops, monitor and maintain the provision of nutrients to crops and plan and manage the harvesting of crops.

Mixed Farming
Covers both knowledge and practical skills in the areas of health and safety, health and welfare of livestock and will teach you how to prepare planting equipment and plant crop, monitor and maintain the provision of nutrients to crops and establish and confirm pregnancy in livestock, providing you with a broad skills set to work on a mixed unit.

Livestock
Specialist units will enhance your understanding of production practices and develop practical and supervisory skills to manage the livestock enterprises appropriate to the needs of you and your employer.

Poultry Production
This qualification supports employees and employers within the poultry sector with pathways addressing the needs of the broiler, egg production, and breeders.

Meet the lecturer

Wallace Currie

Lecturer in Agriculture

After graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Agriculture in 2018 Wallace decided to further his knowledge in global food production with a MSc in Food Security at Glasgow University, which he completed in 2019. Wanting to gain experience in sales and management he took up a role as management trainee at Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

In his free time you will find him working alongside RHET, showing sheep at his local show and working on Rural2Kitchen, his Facebook page that aims to teach the public about food production, sourcing local and introduce you to the people in the sector through his R2Kast podcast.

He believes in integrating practical and theory together to form a ‘big picture’ before focussing in on the theory to really get down to the crux of the matter at hand.

Fees and funding

There is not normally a requirement for a fee contribution from the apprentice or the employer. SRUC will secure funding on your behalf from Skills Development Scotland to meet the cost of your training and Modern Apprenticeships.

However an apprentice must be in employment and the employer would be expected to support the apprentice whilst under training, including for agreed off-the-job training elements.

Funding may also be available to support apprentices where, for example, remoteness, rurality, or disability, may affect an apprentice's ability to fully engage with and complete an apprenticeship programme. Please contact us for details.