Paul Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank her for coming to deal with this issue this morning. I raise the issue of the need for the Minister to amend the age eligibility criteria for the green certificate core training course for young farmers. As we are aware, the green certificate is the qualification for young farmers. It is a necessary qualification for many reasons. Not only does it improve the knowledge and future farming abilities of the young men and women but it also is a necessary qualification in respect of stamp duty, inheritance tax and the receipt of some schemes and grants within the agriculture sector.

There are two ways for any young person to achieve the green certificate. The first is a full-time training course in an agricultural college. The other option is to study on a part-time basis through courses which are usually run by Teagasc. The anomaly and the issue I am raising this morning is that, to do the part-time course, one has to be older than 23 years of age. I have heard of a number of cases recently in which this was not at all feasible or possible for the young people in question. One particular example is a case in which the existing farmer, the father, is in ill health and the young person who wishes and is very willing to achieve the green certificate - and who needs to for the reasons I mentioned before including schemes and so on - cannot take the time to do the full-time course. By virtue of the fact that the person in question is only 20, he cannot do the part-time course. It is something we need to look at across the broader spectrum rather than just in this one individual case.

In the agriculture sector we have continual debate about the age profile of our farmers. We are continually discussing ways and means to attract younger people and a younger generation to take up the mantle and to become full-time qualified farmers. The fact that they cannot do the part-time course is a hindrance, especially because we have such a labour shortage at present and because there is such a promotion of expansion within the agriculture sector, which has greatly increased the workload on many of these farms. The young person in question is an integral part of the working of that farm and is a necessary member of the labour force. His loss for the duration of a full-time course would mean that outside labour would have to be brought in which is, first of all, not available. Even if it were available, in many cases, because of the low income margins of the farming community, especially the small family farms, it would not be possible to pay labour while the young person is away on full-time training. Allowing these young people to do the part-time course would be advantageous. They would become used to doing training on a part-time basis which, it is to be hoped, they would continue after they finished the green certificate. It would become endemic among such farmers to train while working and they would then be more freely available and more prepared to carry on with knowledge transfer schemes and further education down the line.

I hope this is something that can be looked at. The agricultural college is an integral part of our system and I do not want, in any way, to create a situation in which all people might jump on the bandwagon and pursue the part-time courses. That would be detrimental to our very good agricultural college training system. However, there are exceptional cases in which the fact that one has to be 23 to do the part-time course creates a big anomaly within the system.

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Daly very much for raising this matter. I wish to apologise on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Creed. He is not able to be here this morning as he is taking oral questions in the other House at the moment. As we all know, the green certificate is delivered by Teagasc and has been developed to meet the training requirements for part-time and full-time farmers. It is accredited by Quality and Qualifications Ireland, QQI, an independent State agency responsible for promoting quality and accountability in education and training services in Ireland. In delivering the green certificate, Teagasc fully adheres to QQI’s quality assurance guidelines and principles. Participants can take the green certificate programme on a full-time, part-time and distance education basis at Teagasc agricultural colleges and at local and regional Teagasc education centres. There is no minimum educational entry requirements, but those who have completed the leaving certificate are likely to perform best.

The green certificate opens up a wide range of career options for participants, many of whom will return to farming either in a full-time or part-time capacity. There are also many job opportunities for green certificate holders in the equine, horticulture and forestry sectors. Additionally, the green certificate meets the training requirement for stamp duty exemption, as the Senator mentioned, and for various schemes operated by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Teagasc is responsible for establishing the eligibility criteria for the green certificate with QQI. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has no function in the matter. QQI’s validation process for the part-time green certificate programme requires Teagasc to specify target learners and access conditions. As it is an adult education programme, Teagasc requested validation for mature students of 23 years or over. An external QQI validation panel reviewed the programme in respect of entry requirements and licensed Teagasc to offer it as an adult education programme.

It is important to point out that the green certificate part-time programme is an adult education programme and not a school leaver programme. The age threshold of 23 years is the accepted convention for adult education programmes in Ireland across the vocational sector. The part-time green certificate option takes two to two and a half years to complete and comprises two awards: the level 5 certificate in agriculture, which is worth 120 credits; and the level 6 specific purpose certificate in farming, which is worth 50 credits. This option consists of a combination of formal course work and a period of practical learning. Areas covered include farm business and IT, principles of agriculture, farm safety, farm performance and management modules, grass production etc.

As a strong supporter of agricultural education, the Government welcomes the exceptional interest in the green certificate over the past few years, which reflects renewed interest and opportunities in agriculture. Teagasc research shows that formal agricultural education provides positive returns in family farm incomes and farm productivity. Teagasc graduate surveys also reflect the above findings with an average of 80% of respondents engaged in farming indicating that they increased their farming activity in the five years after graduation. The Minister, Deputy Creed, was pleased to secure approval for additional resources to enable Teagasc to provide almost 3,000 extra green certificate places that would otherwise not have been made available. The training of so many young farmers is a very positive development for the agrifood sector, both in terms of supporting structural adjustment and encouraging young educated farmers to remain in and to enter farming.

Paul Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate the response from the Minister of State. As she stated, Teagasc has full responsibility and the part-time course is treated or seen as adult education. I hope the Minister of State can take my problems and issues with it on board.I am talking about exceptions rather than opening the floodgates on this. It would be shameful if one or several young individuals felt because of their circumstances on the family farm that they would have to farm untrained for five to six years before reaching the age of 23 and taking up the course on a part-time basis. This would be detrimental to individuals who would be five or six years out of the education system when starting the course. It would also have a negative effect on their farming capabilities and the efficiency of the farm if they were to farm untrained. The Minister could, in consultation with Teagasc, come up with a special case arrangement in this situation.

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator and I will report to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed. I emphasise that the green cert part-time programme is an adult education programme and not a school leavers' programme. The age threshold of 23 years is the accepted convention for adult education across the vocational sector in Ireland.