Level 3 Advanced Technical Extended Diploma in Agriculture (1080)

The Level 3 Advanced Technical Extended Diploma in Agriculture gives you the opportunity to learn about and build on the essentials of working in farming such as safe working practices in farming, livestock husbandry and crop production, plant and soil science, estate skills and operating agricultural machinery as well as business skills.

You will then choose to specialise in either livestock, arable or farm mechanisation.

Students choosing the livestock option will go to study subjects such as farm livestock health and nutrition, pollution and waste control management, business improvement and farm animal science, plus you will learn about specialist dairy, beef, sheep, pig or poultry production. You will also study further topics such as grassland management or farm habitat management. This would be for you if you really enjoy the aspects of farming relating to animals and their husbandry and production.

If you chose the arable option, then you will learn those skills that are particularly important for working with agricultural crops such as pollution and waste control management, business improvement, agricultural spreaders and sprayers plus further subjects such as forage crop production, grassland management, harvesting, storage and marketing of root crops, field vegetable production and combinable crop production.

For the farm mechanisation pathway, you will focus on the agricultural machinery side. You will learn about land-based power units and workshop practice, plus you will study further topics such as repairing compression-ignition engines, mechanical power transmission systems, spark-ignition (petrol) engines, cultivation, planting and application machinery and harvesting machinery.

Compulsory topics include:

• Safe working in agriculture
  
• Machinery operations
  
• Agricultural crop production
  
• Livestock husbandry
  
• Plant and soil science
  
• Estate maintenance skills

Learners will also be able to choose additional optional topics, including:

• Forage crop production
• Root crop production
• Pollution and waste control
• Habitat management
• Dairy, sheep, beef, poultry and pig production
• Spreaders and sprayers
• Business planning and management
• Workshop practice
• Transmission systems
• Repairing cultivation and harvesting machinery

This could lead to the following employment opportunities:

• Assistant stockperson
• Herdsperson
• Shepherd
• Dairyman
• Contractor (livestock)
• Assistant poultry unit manager
• Crop store assistant
• Contractor (crops)
• Agricultural technician
• Fixed plant manager
• Assistant head tractor driver
• Sprayer operator
• Machinery operator
• Farm mechanic

Read more about this in the Level 3 Advanced Technical Extended Diploma in Agriculture (1080) Qualification Handbook

Level 3 Advanced Technical Extended Diploma in Agriculture (1080) website