Social farming course at Skellig CRI centre
A UNIQUE educational course to provide farmers with the skills to work alongside people with disabilities has been launched in Kerry.
The course will be available at The Skellig Centre for Research and Innovation (Skellig CRI) in Cahersiveen, which is an outreach centre for higher education, research and entrepreneurship.
The centre, which was officially launched alongside the course last week by Junior Minister Brendan Griffin, is a means of helping regenerate the local area through collaboration between Kerry County Council, third-level education and the community development sector.
The Certificate in Practice Support in Social Farming is a one-year programme that will provide students with the skills to work with people with disabilities, both on social farms and/or in a community setting.
It is being offered by the Department of Adult Continuing Education and the Department of Applied Social Science of University College Cork (UCC), in conjunction with the Skellig CRI and SKDP.
The course comes following the hugely successful Kerry Social Farming project, which facilitates adults with disabilities to visit and help out regularly on farms in Kerry. It also helps them become part of the local community. It currently operates on 19 farms.
Minister Griffin visited one of the farms last Friday in Glencar before launching the course and the centre, which he said provides the local region with great opportunities.
“The Government is committed to supporting rural communities, and Skellig CRI is a great example of how targeted supports can make a real difference to a rural community,” he said.
Skellig CRI Manager Belinda Gascoigne said that the collaboration with the local community has led to many region-specific programmes, including the new Certificate in Practice Support in Social Farming.
For further information on the course can be obtained by emailing the centre at skelligcri@ucc.ie