The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) offers a Level 2 Multiskilling Programme at its Greenmount Campus in Antrim, allowing students to combine a trade course with an agricultural qualification.

The programme operates on a block release basis, with students attending Greenmount Campus during holiday periods from their regional college. Successful completion results in both a trade qualification and a Level 2 Work Based Diploma in Agriculture.

Students reside at the campus during block release. The agriculture component includes theory and practical sessions on animal health, livestock nutrition, animal housing, farm biosecurity, and health and safety. Practical work includes morning and evening milking, calf rearing at the Dairy Centre, and animal husbandry at the Beef and Sheep Centre. Students also gain a recognised First Aid qualification.

Odhran McEvoy, a past student, said the programme helped him develop agricultural skills alongside his construction trade. He joined his father's construction business after school and enrolled in a bricklaying course at Southern Regional College, while also working on the family farm with suckler cows and Scottish Blackface ewes.

The programme is open to students who have secured a place on a trade course at any regional college. Applications remain open for this year's intake. Further information is available on the CAFRE website.