Teagasc Education Vision - meeting future needs

The conference is intended for farm families, host farmers and growers, , horticultural, forestry & equine stakeholders, educators, guidance counsellors and other stakeholders across the land sector.

Draft Agenda

8.30 a.m. Registration including tea/coffee from 8.30 a.m.

9.20 a.m. Opening Address Prof Gerry Boyle, Teagasc Director

9. 45 a.m. Teagasc Education Vision - meeting future needs

Chair: Prof Seamus Smyth, Teagasc Education Vision Steering Group chairperson.

• Mr Tony Pettit, Head of Education, Teagasc.
• Mr Frank Murphy, Head of Curriculum Development and Standards, Teagasc.
• Mr Alan Jagoe, Teagasc Authority Advisory and Education Committee chairperson.

11.00 a.m. Coffee break

11.20 a.m. Innovation in agricultural education seminars (attend two of four options)

Seminar 1: Workplace learning - can we improve the learning outcomes?

Chair: Mr John O Brien, Teagasc Education and Training Forum member, Chair – Host Farmers’ Association.

• Mr Oliver Tierney, Asst. Principal, Teagasc Ballyhaise College.
• Ms Danielle Stewart, Teagasc Prof Diploma in Dairy Farm Management graduate.
• Mr Brian Nicholson, Teagasc sheep host farmer.

Seminar 2: Learning never stops - lifelong learning and professional development

Chair: Mr Tommy Cooke, Teagasc Authority.

• Mr Paul Maher, Assistant Director, Knowledge Transfer, Teagasc.
• Mr Ed Payne, Dairy farmer, Teagasc/FBD Student of the Year 2014.
• Ms Imelda Kinsella, Dairy farmer.

Seminar 3: Facilitating gender diversity in land sector careers and education

Chair: Dr Monica Gorman, UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science.

• Ms Jane Kavanagh, Head of Research Operations, Teagasc.
• Ms Aisling Molloy, Teagasc Business and Technology Advisor.
• Ms Louise Carroll, Agricultural student.

Seminar 4: Smart agriculture - preparing the next generation

Chair: Mr Derek O Donoghue, Principal, Salesian Agricultural College.

• Dr Laurence Shalloo, Teagasc Moorepark Research Centre.
• Mr Tim Ashmore, Asst. Principal, Teagasc Kildalton College.
• Mr Kevin Nolan, Teagasc tillage host farmer.

1.00 p.m. Buffet lunch

2.00 p.m. Forging a career in the land sector - panel discussion

Moderator: Mr Damien O Reilly, presenter of CountryWide, RTE Radio 1.

• Mr Conor Coakley, Teagasc/FBD Student of the Year 2017 & Professional Diploma in Dairy Farm Management student.
• Mr Peter Grogan, Lecturer, Gurteen Agricultural College.
• Ms Maeve O Keeffe, Dairy farmer, Inspect4 Hoof Trimming Ltd.
• Mr Garreth McCormack, Part-time beef farmer (Teagasc BETTER Beef Farm).
• Mr Ross McMahon, National Agrochemical Distributors, Technical sales representative.
• Dr Karen O’Connell, Asst. Principal, Teagasc Clonakilty College.

3.00 p.m. Personal competencies - the new requirements in a changing world

Chair: Mr John Mulhern, Principal, Teagasc College of Amenity Horticulture, Botanic Gardens.

Dr Maureen Gaffney, Broadcaster, writer and columnist, Adjunct Professor of Psychology and Society in University College Dublin.

3.50 p.m. Close of conference Prof Tom Kelly, Head of Knowledge Transfer Directorate, Teagasc.