In Ballymena many young people are heading towards their school holidays. For lots of teenagers that means heading on to the farm and helping out. Younger members of farming families will find themselves working around farm equipment and vehicles. CAFRE’s Antrim campus, near Ballymena, offer a tractor driving course for 13 – 15 year olds. Here are the details.

Tractor driving courses - Young people - Ballymena

Tractor driving courses for young people – Ballymena

During July and August CAFRE are running their popular tractor driving course for 13 – 15 year olds at our Greenmount Campus (Antrim), Loughry Campus (Cookstown) and Enniskillen Campus (Enniskillen). The duration of the course will be three days and the cost is £150.

It is vitally important for everyone to be aware of the legislation regarding vehicle licensing for young teenagers.

The Agriculture (Safety of children and young person’s) Regulation (Northern Ireland) 2006 and Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) addresses the risks to young people from agricultural activities, and in particular those arising from agricultural machinery and from hazards found in and around the farmyard.

From the age of 13 years you must obtain a certificate of competence in tractor driving in order to operate agricultural vehicles on the farm.

At CAFRE we use a wide range of modern tractors and equipment for training purposes, where our experienced instructors will guide your son or daughter through the training and assessment process.

To reserve your place on the course please visit the CAFRE website. If you have any queries, you can telephone our short course admin team on: 028 9442 6880.

Driving a tractor on a farm is a big responsibility and their type of course is excellent for farming families. It gives your child farming skills and giving you peace of mind that they have been properly and safely trained. The CAFRE campus at Greenmount is just a few miles from Ballymena.