Agri Aware TY programme aims to boost interest in ag science
The Central Applications Office (CAO) revealed that students selecting an agricultural science course as their first choice to study fell by 6% compared to 2024.
According to Agri Aware, this is a worrying statistic when the opportunities to study agricultural science have never been stronger.
Students can avail of agriculture-related courses right across the country in counties Cork, Dublin, Galway, Waterford, and many others in between.
Agri Aware feels the issues stem at primary and secondary level, where it says that students are not exposed enough to Ireland’s primary sector - agriculture.
The depiction of the importance of the sector in terms of food production, the environment, and its value to the economy also fall short in the education system, according to the non-profit educational body.
Speaking on the findings of the CAO revealed last week, Agri Aware chairperson Shay Galvin said: “The accessibility to study agricultural science at third level has never been stronger.
"We have colleges right across the country offering excellent courses. The challenge is in the second level space in particular, an area that Agri Aware has targeted for some time with its transition year programmes."
To combat this drop-off, Agri Aware in partnership with the Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB) are offering a newly developed programme called 'Intro to Ag'.
This will give transition year students a flavour of what it is like to study agricultural science at Leaving Certificate, and find out about the career opportunities the sector has to offer.
Speaking about the programme, Galvin said: “The Intro to Ag programme developed by Agri Aware in partnership with the LOETB is going nationwide this September and will hopefully be the beginning of the reversal in the decline in students choosing agricultural science as their first choice.
"This programme not only offers a taste of the Leaving Certificate agriculture science curriculum but also provides students with the opportunity to see careers paths in the sector has to offer.”
“With over 10,000 students already signed up to the programme, we are hopeful and committed that come 2028, when the first group of Transition Year students have completed the programme - and decided to then pick up agricultural science as one of their subjects for the Leaving Certificate - we will see positive change in numbers opting to go to agricultural colleges as their first preference on their CAO application.”
