| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Mad Cowman |
interest in basic coursesI'm looking at running basic courses for smallholders in my local parish hall but this would be dependant on numbers. The course prices would be very low and the courses would be 'classroom' based but with practicals where possible.The courses i'm thinking about are livestock/poultry welfare, basic machinery maintenance and grassland management with a basic guide to other foodstuffs. The livestock course would be more cattle and sheep orientated but would touch on pig husbandry and poultry. I would appreciate any feedback to see if it is worth persuing this. I did approach my local ag. college but they wanted to charge a fortune to do it. Thanks, Jim. |
||
| LynneA |
I'd love to do something like this, but my location at present is a disadvantage.
I've vowed not to take ownership of livestock until I've had training, but the only courses round here are small animals - pets & exotics. I've been reading everything I can for a couple of years now, but it's no substitute for hands-on practice. I've got my eye on a farm up your way if I win the lottery tonight, otherwise, weekend courses would be great. |
||
| mochyn |
If only we still lived in Shrewsbury! I used to do courses for Walford (the local ag. college) and I've never encounterred so much red tape! You've had a narrow escape there.
Anyway, tell us more... |
||
| Mad Cowman |
The courses that I have in mind would be around £10 to £20 per person for a full day course with only tea and coffee as refreshments. Current legilation and husbandry hand outs would be given and majority would be lectured although I am working on a placement where I could get some practical stuff done.
If I can get enough inerest from smallholders who think they could benefit from the subjects in my first post then I will go ahead to sort it out. |
||
| Nick |
£20 makes them look cheap, and given you feel you get what you pay for, I think that's way too low. Consider £35, but offer discounts for a second person, unwaged, people on benefits, whatever. | ||
| pookie |
I would be interested and maybe hubby and could easily make Shrewsbury too! | ||
| Lorrainelovesplants |
smallholder coursesI think your idea is great, after all no-one is born with the knowledge.We are trying to do a similar thing in Cornwall with the Cornwall Guild of Smallholders. The trouble is that a lot of the members who actually turn up at the monthly meeting are semi-retired and dont want/need to go on courses. A large proportion of members are business people who have their own little niche and dont want to go outside it (ie meat producers, cheese producers etc). The people we hoped that courses would appeal to would be those who are contemplating getting a few animals and want to be prepared, or those who are smallholders and who want to learn new skills. I think your prices are spot on. We would find anymore than £10-£20 would not be entertained by the average Cornish person. The agricultural colleges will want a cut if you go thru them, try local authority evening classes. In Cornwall there is Objective One funding to help. Cheers Best of luck and let us know how you get on. Lorraine 
|
||
| sally_in_wales |
Have you spoken to your local lifelong learning people? I did some teaching through them a few years ago and they did all the logistical stuff, advertised the class, collected the money, made sure I got my cut then awarded all the participants course credits for havingattended. From my perspective apart from having a few assessment forms to fill in I didnt do anything I wouldnt have done organising it myself, but it gave the whole course a much more professional air and the advertising reached people I couldnt have accessed. | ||
| Grimnir |
Do you have a link for them Sally? | ||
| sally_in_wales |
This is my local one, but they seem to be all over the place, usually attached to your nearest college or uni http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/learn/ |
||
| Belinda |
It's not nearly as easy as it used to be to get funding for lifelong learning stuff particularly if it's not an accredited/qualification-based course. Worth scoping out but don't be too disappointed if the colleges/adult education services say no; funding has really tightened up recently and things have to be in the 'right' format to attract the funding. One thing to look for might be Taster courses or they might be called Bite Size; one-off one day or half day opportunities to try something out. These are often opportunities to teach leisure topics and something a bit unusual. A local FE college could be a starting point for tutoring on those.
If you are doing independent tutoring outside of a private home you should ensure the venue you are using has public liability insurance and maybe investigate this for yourself too. If you work through a college or other provider you are covered by all their insurances; if you work independently, you're on your own if, say, someone breaks a leg on your course and it could be shown you were negligent in some way. Don't want to pour cold water - I teach in adult and community learning myself - but it's becoming a bit of a minefield and if you opt to teach in a public venue without the backup of any organisation you could be making yourself vulnerable. Other possible providers worth checking out could include a local Settlement group if you have one, or even a local school through the Extended Schools Initiative which offers services and education to the local adult community. |