Farming influencer Sophie steering tractor driving course for women

The first Safe Tractor Driving Course exclusively for women was recently held in the Virginia Showgrounds in Co Cavan.

Organised by FRS Training, the pilot training course provides a female focused learning environment, covering all the main elements of tractor driving.

Women from as far away as Donegal, Wexford and Galway made the journey to partake in the course, where they were joined by farming influencer, Cavan’s Sophie Bell, as one of the participants.

Such was the success of the pilot course in Cavan, with significant demand coming through for the programme, that FRS Training has added more courses in Cavan and other parts of the country.

The original idea for the women focused course came from Sophie, after many of her young, female social media followers reached out to her expressing their desire for such a programme. Sophie then contacted FRS Training, who were delighted to work with her on preparing the new course as they had extensive experience in this field.

During the half day session, Sophie and the other participants were provided with a blend of classroom based learning and practical hands-on experience. The practical component of the course covered essential safety checks, manoeuvring through obstacles, as well as mastering tasks such as reversing with a trailer and operating front loaders. The machinery was kindly provided by Clarke Machinery in Cavan for the training.

Speaking about the course, Sophie Bell said: “It is fantastic that this course is taking place and to see it operating. This type of course was badly needed. I’m delighted that FRS Training were able to step up and make it happen. For too long, farming women haven’t had a female focused course like this available.

“This course was specifically designed for participants to learn the correct tractor driving procedures amongst their peers, no matter their current ability or existing skill level. I learnt so much about using these modern pieces of machinery and I know I was being taught the correct techniques, rather than having to figure it by myself at home. I’d like to thank FRS Training for listening and for organising such a course for women. Having seen the reaction to this pilot, I really hope there will be more of these courses.” available in other parts of the country too,” she said.

Her remarks were echoed by Colin Donnery, Group CEO of FRS Network. “What is clear to see is there is a marked level of enthusiasm from women farmers and women from a farming background for a course like this. The need for this type of training was first drawn to our attention by Sophie, thanks to suggestions put forward by her social media followers. Having now run the original pilot course in Cavan and three others on the back of the immediate demand and seeing the strong reaction, we are exploring how best to reach more women in agriculture with this course and how it can be extended. There is clearly a need and demand for this training, and we aim to help more people receive the tractor training they are seeking in the near future,” Mr Donnery concluded.

For more information about upcoming Safe Tractor Driving Courses and to register interest, visit the FRS Training website: www.frstraining.com.