Mandatory training course for SCEP participants launched
The launch of an online training course for participants in the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) was yesterday, April 29, announced by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, T.D.
As part of SCEP, participants are required to complete the mandatory online training course on programme actions and animal handling by November 15, 2024. Failure to complete the course by November 15, 2024 will render participants ineligible to remain in the programme and monies received will have to be repaid. Completion of all the course modules will be verified by the Department.
Course material
The course consists of a brief explainer video and seven online course modules. The course is accessible online using the pin number provided in the information letter being issued by post by the Department over the coming days. This will also be accessible through the Agfood accounts of SCEP participants. The Department is reminding farmers that they do need a valid e-mail address to gain access to the training material.
A professional e-learning company was engaged to create and configure an interactive experience tailored to the Department’s requirements and the needs of SCEP participants. The training material has been devised by the Department with the assistance of Teagasc, the ICBF and other beef sector experts. The course is focused on the SCEP actions that farmers must undertake as part of the programme – breeding strategies, genotyping, weighing and calving surveys – and also includes a module on farm safety and livestock handling.
Inviting SCEP participants to check out the training portal at www.sceptraining.ie, Minister McConalogue said: “The letter issuing to all SCEP participants provides all the information necessary to log on the website.
"The course can be completed in stages and there are support facilities available for anyone encountering difficulties getting started on their training. The big advantage of online training is its flexibility, enabling busy farmers to proceed at their own pace and in their own time on whatever electronic device is convenient for them and they can revisit the material whenever they want.”
Minister McConalogue urged all farmers to engage with the training as soon as possible, adding: “The training is laid out in a very user-friendly format: it is easy to navigate, and key information is conveyed effectively in relatively short modules.
"There are some interesting demonstration videos on the programme’s core actions which, I think, will be of particular interest and relevance to farmers. A module on farm safety is included because we can never lose sight of the challenges that farming poses to health and wellbeing. If we aware of the risks, we can take action to mitigate them.”