Awards and certificates were presented to over 700 graduates of Teagasc Ballyhaise College, Co. Cavan, at its recent graduation ceremony in the Hotel Kilmore, Cavan, on Tuesday, November 27.
The awards and certificates were presented by the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys, and the director of Teagasc, Gerry Boyle.
The event was the last of three Teagasc agricultural college graduations to take place this autumn.
Boyle outlined that in the last four years, the numbers of students completing certificates with Teagasc Ballyhaise have increased year-on-year.
He explained: “Over 2,000 certificates have been received by Ballyhaise College graduates since the autumn of 2013.”
He noted the importance of building sustainability into all aspects of our agricultural production and how important education is in ensuring this happens.
Principal of Teagasc Ballyhaise College, John Kelly, pointed out that in the early years of the college, less than 40 students attended the college each year.
This academic year, 348 students enrolled on first year courses with now over 1,000 learners attending the various courses on offer in the college.
Back to education
Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys, outlined the importance of the Government’s Rural Development Programme in encouraging people to come back into education and stressed the importance of lifelong learning to those graduating.
“Events like this are the stand-out moments that we remember forever, but the truth is that today is the culmination of many years of hard work, commitment and dedication.
Graduation is not the end, however, it is only the beginning.
She added that she also comes from a farming background and “knows from experience that continuous professional development is crucial in keeping up-to-speed with changes at farm level”.
Concluding, Minister Humphreys said: “For this reason, I would encourage the graduates to never stop learning or upskilling.”