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Level 2 General Farm Worker Apprenticeship Standard (Livestock)

About the course

The broad purpose of the occupation is to support the operation of farm enterprises through maintaining a culture of health and safety, biosecurity, engaging with third parties, maintaining crop, animal handling and health, maintenance and cleanliness of machinery. The General Farm Worker will typically be required to drive farm vehicles and must hold the appropriate license. The individual will work alongside the supervisor, supporting daily operations for the farm enterprises including identifying and maintaining animal or plant health performance, conducting routine tasks and assisting with general record keeping practices. The individual will manage the storage of forage and crop, minimising waste and disposing of necessary waste appropriately. Animal welfare and risk awareness and prevention are integral to this occupation.

A General Farm Worker is likely to specialise in Livestock or Crop. This Apprenticeship Standard takes a core and options approach. All apprentices will complete the core and must select the one most appropriate option to their role: Livestock Worker or Crop Worker. In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with the internal farm team reporting to a line manager, and with a number of external stakeholders including vets, farm advisor, contractors and other consultants to the business.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for carrying out routine work set by their supervisor, to the required business standards. This includes assisting with animal and plant health and nutrition, maintaining health and safety and biosecurity, operating farm vehicles and optimising the environmental impacts of animal and crop performance. Office work is minimal although basic daily record keeping will be required. Typical working hours will depend on farm type and labour structure. A farm worker will be expected to do long hours, only as permitted within UK employment law.

Course modules

Additional Qualification(s)

Additional Qualifications

The following qualifications will be required prior to taking the end point assessments: Level 2 Awards in: Emergency first aid at work & The safe use of pesticides (PA1) On completion of the pesticides foundation unit above also choose one of the following units: Boom sprayer, mounted, trailed or self-propelled equipment (PA2a) Handheld applicator equipment (Pa6a)

Combined Competence and Knowledge Qualification

Skills, Knowledge & Behaviours

An apprentice will be required to undertake & have an understanding of a number of different core skills, knowledge & behaviours. They will also select one of the four following specialised routes, which is relevant to their role (beef, pigs, sheep, dairy). Please see factsheet for more information.

Functional Skills

Functional Skills

Level 1 Mathematics & Level 1 English

Entry requirements & additional information

Entry requirements

Entry Criteria

A potential Level 2 apprentice: 

Must be aged 16 or over & have officially left school. 

Must be employed (NOT self-employed) in the relevant occupational sector, working a minimum of 30 hours per week. 

An individual can only undertake an apprenticeship at the same or lower level than a qualification they already hold, if this allows the individual to acquire substantive new skills and the content of the training is materially different from any prior training or a previous apprenticeship. 

Must have the right to work in England & spend at least 50% of their working hours in England over the duration of the apprenticeship. 

Must be a citizen of a country with in the European Economic Area (EEA) or have the right of abode in the UK AND have been ordinarily resident in the EEA for at least the previous 3 years on the first day of learning. 

All Apprenticeships require Initial assessment, vocational skills scan, an interview and employment in the industry.

*Typically, an applicant will have attained a minimum of 4 GCSE grades D/E or 2/3 including both Maths and English. Functional Skills Level 1 will be accepted as an alternative to GCSEs. 

Exceptional entries will be considered for all Apprenticeships at the discretion of the college based on experience, successful interview and outcomes of Initial and Diagnostic assessments for English and Maths to establish current levels of ability 

Learning and assessment

Theory work & learning materials delivered online with photographic, video & audio evidence being collected through the Onefile E-Portfolio platform, supported by off site technical training one day per fortnight at Myerscough College.

The employer will have access to their apprentices Onefile E-Portfolio so they can monitor progress & work that has been set by the tutor.

The qualification is made up of a number of mandatory units designed to have maximum relevance to the job & integrate with day to day responsibilities.

An employer must allow an apprentice 20% of their working week to undertake work required to complete their apprenticeship (this is a legal requirement) & will include any college attendance required.

There will be an end point assessment, conducted by an independent assessor.

All components must be passed for the apprentice to meet the apprenticeship standard & these will include:

  • Online multiple choice test (40 Questions) (90 mins)
  • Workplace observation of practical tasks, 3 tasks over 1 day (2 hours per task, total of 6 hours)
  • Professional Discussion (60 mins)

There will be 3 levels of achievement: Pass, Merit & Distinction

In the unlikely event of an apprentice needing to resit an End Point Assessment (or elements of the End Point Assessment), then the employer will be responsible for funding these additional costs.

Progression

Apprentices successfully completing the Level 2 Apprenticeship have opportunities to progress within the industry by continuing onto a suitable Level 3 Apprenticeship in Agricultural Technician or other Further Education courses.

Careers

Typical jobs apprentices will be able to progress onto on completion of this Apprenticeship will depend on the qualifications and experience gained, but could include: Farm Worker, Assistant Herds Person.

Our own dairy cows
Our own dairy cows

Agriculture

Myerscough College is one of the leading institutions for Agriculture in the UK. Our courses will help prepare you for a career in the industry, by combining relevant background skills with the knowledge of crop and livestock technology as well as business enterprise.

There is currently a significant demand for highly trained and well educated professionals to enter the industry. This has been fuelled by the increasing awareness that food production, farming, tourism, the environment and rural affairs are all interconnected.

Nicola Chappelhow
Nicola Chappelhow

They say: Nicola Chappelhow

"Myerscough gave me a great understanding of different types of agriculture and set me up nicely for my job as a milk recorder."

 

Oliver McEntyre.jpg
Oliver McEntyre.jpg

Alumni – Oliver McEntyre

To anyone looking to study Agriculture or Countryside at Myerscough College, I’d say go, embrace it & leave with the knowledge that the qualification will stay with you for the rest of your career and open doors that might not have been opened without the time and experience Myerscough offers.

Meet Oliver

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Oldham Apprentices with WB Tutor David Hilton.jpg
Oldham Apprentices with WB Tutor David Hilton.jpg

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Myerscough College Apprentice Case Studies
Myerscough College Apprentice Case Studies

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Myerscough College Traineeships

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