Myerscough confirm details of Ullswater agriculture and animal studies partnership

Myerscough’s partnership with Ullswater Community College, near Penrith, recognises the importance of the future of the agriculture and animal management sectors to the county, and how vital it is that the next generation have the best possible opportunity to obtain high level qualifications locally. This partnership, which has already been welcomed by leaders and high-profile figures in both fields, will ensure continuity of study for learners in agriculture and animal studies affected by the forthcoming closure of Newton Rigg College, as well as increasing options for other students in Cumbria, who perhaps previously felt full-time study so far from home was too much of an obstacle.

The study programmes on offer are available to students in school Year 11, who had either already applied, or were thinking of applying to go to Newton Rigg College in September, as well as existing Newton Rigg learners who were facing uncertainty as to the continuation of their studies. In addition, the offer is available to any other students in the county, regardless of if they’ve had any link to Newton Rigg previously.

The Myerscough College and Ullswater Community College partnership will, from September, offer the following study programmes which are available to apply for immediately:

City & Guilds Level 2 Certificate in Agriculture

City & Guilds Level 3 Advanced Technical Diploma in Agriculture

City & Guilds Level 2 Technical Certificate in Animal Care

City & Guilds Level 3 Animal Management

You can find out more about the partnership by downloading a dedicated brochure here 

All of the above programmes will follow a model currently being followed by a similar partnership Myerscough currently enjoys with Furness College, in the south of the county. Learners can still live at home, while enjoying the benefit of quality, local, academic study, with theory and classroom sessions at Ullswater, combined additional weekly travel to Myerscough College, via a free, dedicated bus service, where practical elements will be taught in state-of-the-art, sector leading facilities.

Myerscough’s new Cumbrian offer also includes the opportunity for full time residential study at the College’s main campus at Bilsborrow, near Preston, for learners who wish to choose to do so. In addition to the animal management and agriculture programmes detailed above, Cumbrian learners can apply for a range of study programmes in the land-based sector in the usual way, in subjects including Agricultural Engineering, Arboriculture, Land & Wildlife (Gamekeeping and Countryside Studies), Horticulture and Equine.

Alison Robinson, Chief Executive & Principal of Myerscough College, said: “Myerscough College wants to see land-based education flourish in Cumbria, and we are delighted to be working with Ullswater Community College.

‘’We believe that this continuity of provision will provide clarity for new students and a number of students progressing with their studies, and will be a platform for the continuation of land-based education within Penrith, which is so critical for both young people and employers in the Cumbrian community.”

Stephen Gilby, Headteacher of Ullswater Community College, said: “Newton Rigg College has been an important destination for significant numbers of our pupils and we are very happy to be working with Myerscough, Dr Neil Hudson MP, and local stakeholders on this innovative solution.

‘’Ullswater Community College is at the heart of the community in Penrith and we firmly believe that this partnership can be built upon to sustain land-based education in Penrith, Eden and Cumbria long into the future.”

Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and the Borders, added: “I am really pleased that Myerscough College and Ullswater Community College have agreed to come together and work with local stakeholders to secure local educational provision in Cumbria. This offers a lifeline for the community.”

Myerscough College is one of the leading institutions in the UK within the land-based sector, teaching more than twenty different subjects, all of which give learners the hands on, practical skills required to secure dream jobs and make a difference to people’s lives. The College’s main campus is North of Preston, a few minutes from junction 32 of the M6, where a £35 million campus development programme has recently been completed. This work includes the opening of a state-of-the-art, multi-million-pound Food and Farming Innovation & Technology Centre (‘FFIT’), the only one of its kind in the UK, and an Animal Studies Centre, which has tripled in size after the completion of a £3 million extension and major refurbishment.

Myerscough is OFSTED rated GOOD with ‘highly effective teaching, setting high expectations and clear priorities to improve quality of provision, and delivering high quality vocational learning that responds to local, regional and national needs.’ The College is proud of its 127-year heritage in teaching agriculture and other land-based education. The College has the largest geographical reach of all of the land-based colleges, recruiting from 36 local authorities annually and is the largest land-based apprenticeship provider in the UK delivering to apprentices across the UK in their local communities through a national network of specialist apprenticeship tutors.

The College has three farms, and the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB) recently made Myerscough’s Lodge Farm a Strategic Dairy Farm, adding the farm to the AHDB’s Farm Excellence platform, a network of inspirational farmers who share and create new ideas to drive innovation and productivity and share good practice nationally.