Extra funding to support Plumpton College students during coronavirus pandemic

The agricultural college has been awarded an additional £0.5million in loan facility for adults wishing to study for a level 3 qualification this new year in land-based courses, with career opportunities immediately available.

This facility means that adults who wish to study at level 3 – a higher technical level equivalent to A-levels – can take out a loan to pay tuition fees which, much like university loans, only needs to be paid back when people are in work and earning over a certain threshold.

College principal Jeremy Kerswell said: “We have seen an unprecedented demand from adults on our courses for this year.

“Whilst we feel this reflects the current job market as more people than ever seek to retrain, it’s also a recognition of the fact that many of the industries we serve including horticulture, agriculture, and countryside management have national and local skills gaps, meaning they are in desperate need of people looking to retrain and reskill into a new career.”

As part of the college’s agile response to the pandemic, it has a range of new courses this year in animal management, forestry and arboriculture, horticulture and garden design and land and environment.

For more information about full and part-time courses, visit www.plumpton.ac.uk.

Or visit the college’s Virtual Information Event between January 18–23, and sign up to have a chat with a member of the academic team.