Agricultural Engineering programmes have run since the 1970s in Tralee. Today, graduates are employed by all the main manufacturers and dealerships both in Ireland and internationally.

It’s an exciting time for agricultural engineering and mechanisation students coming to IT Tralee. The demand for graduates is far greater than supply from Tralee, which ensures all students get employment and a solid start on their career path.

The college offers level 7 and 8 degrees in agricultural engineering, a level 7 degree in agricultural mechanisation, and delivers phase 4 and 6 blocks to agricultural mechanics as part of Solas apprenticeships.

On top of this, degrees in agricultural science and veterinary science are offered. There are a number of recent developments taking place in the engineering side:

Green Cert: Students studying agricultural engineering (level 7 or 8) and agricultural mechanisation (level 7) will have an opportunity to obtain a level 6 specific purpose certificate in farm administration (leading to stamp duty exemption in respect of transfers to young trained farmers) upon graduation. It will be necessary for students to take one extra module per year over a three-year time frame and complete a portfolio of farming activity to achieve this additional qualification.

International degree: IT Tralee has linked up with the University of Burgundy (France) and University of Bologna (Italy) to develop a one-year add-on level 8 international degree in agricultural engineering. Students who have completed three years at IT Tralee or students with a suitable qualification from another college will be eligible to apply. The students on this programme will spend 12 weeks in Ireland, 12 weeks in France and 12 weeks in Italy as well as a possibility of a further period of work placement in either France or Italy.

Precision farming: Kverneland Ireland recently donated an Isobus Tellus and Isobus Tellus Go training equipment to IT Tralee’s Agricultural Engineering Department. This equipment will supplement existing hardware for the delivery of precision farming modules. They will be a great aid in training all students for the growing high-tech agricultural machinery industry that is expanding throughout Ireland. IsoMatch Tellus GO makes it easy to control any Isobus machine from your tractor cab. It will enable IT Tralee students to set up and fully understand current precision farming technology as well as Isobus communication to agricultural implements, satellite navigation for site-specific section control, variable rate application and field registration as well as many other features.

They have also purchased Topcon equipment at a significant educational discount which includes a GPS receiver, Electric steering drive to make non-steer-ready tractors able to give straight and curved AB lines and touchscreen interface to control variable rate and section control implements.

New equipment

Also, IT Tralee received a grant this year of €400,000 from the HEA (Higher Education Authority) to purchase new equipment specifically for their farm mechanisation programmes. This will further enhance their status as the national centre for agricultural engineering.

Accreditation: All courses in agricultural engineering are accredited by Engineers Ireland and the UK Institute of Agricultural Engineers. IT Tralee staff were recently granted access to John Deere University Technician Training materials and diagnostic software.

The Government announced plans earlier this year for a new science and engineering building for IT Tralee worth €28m. This building will house modern farm machinery workshops with demonstration yard and field for set up, calibrations and use of section control and VRT technology. These facilities will be available for use by manufacturers and dealerships for demonstration and training.

All their programmes have a semester of work placement in year three to prepare the students for careers in the chosen discipline. Students do a group project in year two and individual projects in years three and four.

  • Patrick Carney is head of department of Technology at IT Tralee.