Before you start
Congratulations on securing a conditional place on one of our Agriculture courses at BCA. We look forward to welcoming you to our department and supporting you to gain the skills needed to be successful within an exciting and rewarding industry.
Please find below some key information that we hope you will find beneficial to have before starting your course and which clearly outlines our expectations of what you need to prepare for the start of the academic year in order to help you to achieve your full potential.
Uniform, PPE and stationery requirements:
In September all students are required to bring in:
- No hoodies up, caps or hats are allowed in classrooms during theory sessions. Jewellery and piercings that are loose fitting may have to be removed, this will be at the discretion of the staff taking the practical.
- Tetanus – Working in Agriculture involves working with animals, livestock and soils which increases the risk of contracting tetanus. It is strongly recommended that you are immunised against tetanus. If you have participated in the NHS childhood vaccination programme you would normally have had a final Tetanus vaccination between the ages of 13 and 16 and would have received a certificate confirming the immunisation. Students will not be allowed to participate in practical work unless they have completed and given the team a slip confirming that they have been immunised.
As part of the Agriculture study program students are required to carry out industry placement. This can be completed within any area of the agricultural industry. It is helpful if you can find your own industry placement near home, but BCA will support you with this if it proves to be difficult. All employers accepting industry placement students will be visited by the work placement team to ensure that they comply with health and safety regulations and have public liability and employers liability insurance.
Within Agriculture we expect our students to conduct themselves in a manner that respects others and the environment. There is also a collegewide ‘Student code of conduct’ and during the first week of term we will go through this to ensure that all students are aware of the expectations that we have of them whilst they are on college premises or whilst representing the college offsite. This will include timekeeping and readiness to engage in learning. Food and drink (except water) are not allowed in the learning centre, classrooms and workshop areas.
All Agriculture students will need to have a locker to securely store their PPE. Lockers are very limited and booked on a first come first served basis. There is a £30 upfront cost for lockers which comprises a £20 deposit and £10 rental. Lockers can only be booked and paid for via Wisepay; you will be set up with a Wisepay account during the enrolment process. The £20 deposit will be refunded at the end of the year providing the key is returned and the Locker is undamaged.
Student stationery – As a minimum requirement you will need to bring with you to college the following stationery items:
- A4 lever arch file, for storing handouts and course notes
- Pens, pencils and rulers
- A4 notepad
- Mobile Phones and Electronic Devices
- The use of mobile phones and electronic devices during practical and theory lessons are restricted to ‘directed use’ by the staff member taking the session. We advise that students turn phones off and store them securely out of sight during practical and theory lessons to avoid any temptation to use them. Where this rule is being ignored we may insist that the device is left securely in the staff office at the beginning of the day and collected at the end of the day.
- Trips and Visits
- Any trips that are undertaken throughout the year will be charged separately and the cost will depend on the trip. Sometimes additional qualifications that are not part of the course may be offered and there may be charges associated with these courses.
- Trips and Visits