Otley College:Very much like Richmond College, really.

Neil Ridley, Otley College

Part of the teaching facilities at Otley College, an area previously used for housing animals in winter

Pigs are part of the Animal Care at Otley. Can't see this happening in Animal Care at Richmond.

The famous Otley College Black Bull

Otley College in east Suffolk has a lot in common with Richmond College. Foundation Studies (Basic Ed), Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Care and Equine Studies on the same campus, along with Business and IT. It is about 25 minutes from Ipswich, the main city in these parts, and most students are bussed in from Ipswich each day. It is a very pleasant rural setting.

Neil Ridley, Ag lecturer, who has moved into an Outreach role in the TAFENSW model, organises courses for groups of students from beginners through to practising farmers looking to boost skills in particular areas. Neil was a very strong contact from my preliminary planning stages and offered help to me upon my arrival in the UK. He is somewhat of an further educational (FE) warrior, having been at Otley sincce the early 1990s and having had to survive a number of rebadgings, course redesigns, funding cutbacks and policy and management makeovers. We had a large amount of common ground to cover.

Neil outlined the changes in agricultural education at the FE level over the past 15 years. The Sector Skills Council for land-based studies, which marries together industry requirements and training outcomes, oversaw the general move from practical training to more academic, classroom-based activities. Prior to 2007 colleges were given a 10% bonus for agricultural training across the college, but this was reduced and then stopped altogether. This has led to a shakeout in agricultural training with some noted colleges in the country stopping training programs and one in Devon being sold for development. A broad collective of land-based colleges, Landex, has been formed by the remaining colleges to provide a mouthpiece and to lobby on behalf of the sector. Otley College no longer uses its own pigs, cattle or sheep to train its students, but relies upon links with co-operating farms for access. Equine Studies at the college has animals resident on the campus and first-grade facilities for teaching horse courses.

Neil has input into the delivery of Agriskills programs which can provide both management and vocational skills for students and farmers. The range of courses that might be delivered is varied, from grazing management to efficient water use through to a short course on sausage making for farmers attempting to value-add to their farm produce. His section at the college has begun developing stronger links with schools in the area to provide a career path for those with an interest in farming. The disconnect between children of all ages and the production of their food was a notion I came across a number of times in the UK. Education of children, their teachers and the public is a big deal here.

Neil was able to outline the changes in student activities over the past 20 years, with both positives and negatives discussed. While students now study the broader processes involved in food production with emphasis on sustainability and management of the environment (across all courses) he noted that the equivalent face-to-face hours in 1991 were about 1000 hours for a 2 or 3 year full-time course whereas today those students have just over 300 hours with the balance in self-paced and directed learning. He was concerned that the teaching sections deliver less "pastoral care" (in all senses) to the students, whose time in studying is directed more towards the internet and development of self-reliance.

In a short time I developed a strong liking for Neil and his practical philosophy relating to the way agriculture could be best taught to students. He has since forwarded on some research and discussion papers which I will link to either this blog or the formal report at the conclusion of my study tour.