One initiative to address the skills gap around employee management on farms funded by Macra na Feirme Young Farmer Skillnet is a course delivered by Teagasc and Heffernan Consultancy. This Level 6 certified ‘‘Supervising People on Your Dairy Farm’’ course has been developed to ensure that farm owners and managers are better at sourcing, managing and retaining labour.

These skills are more widely needed now as many traditional family farms expand and take on young people as extra labour. The pilot five-day course held in Teagasc, Mullinavat, will be rolled out based on demand during the coming year.

Last weekend, the first two days of the graduate cert in leadership began in UCC. This course on leadership for young professionals (L4YP) is an exciting move to ensure the constant availability of development training for rural youth. It covers everything from core communication, teamwork and motivation skills to coaching, personal effectiveness and career management. We have a number of training courses and seminars planned for the coming months with dates being added weekly. There are monthly DIY AI and ultrasound scanning courses on offer along with one-day hoofcare, lameness and mobility workshops. These courses prove particularly attractive to young farmers looking to upskill and get work off the home farm.

In an effort to address a shortage of fabricators and to upskill young farmers, welding courses are being offered in Tralee, Cork and Mountrath.

The Safe Agri Skills courses, in association with ABP Food Group, are continuing. The next course is the ‘‘One Day Emergency First Aid and Health for Farming’’ in Ferbane on 24 February. Other upcoming dates include a chainsaw course in north Cork in April.

Following consultation with the FTMTA, Macra will fund two courses in March for those looking to develop skills for work in the farm machinery trade – the first a service or workshop management course followed by a machinery sales course.

Keep up to date by signing up to the weekly e-newsletter or email skillnet@macra.ie with any queries.To book your place online, visit macra.ie/skillnet .