NEWS FEED
Agricultural machinery and equipment worth over £350,000 has been received by Kingston Maurward College as part of its brand new Agri-tech developments on the campus including a purpose built Agri-tech centre – co-funded by the college and the Dorset Local Education Partnership.
The prestigious John Deere equipment from Dorchester’s Smart Agricultural Services includes nine tractors, GPS tractor, plough, sprayer and variable rate drill – bringing Kingston Maurward College to the forefront of agricultural learning facilities in the country.
Section Lead for Agriculture, Countryside and Food, Laurence Stone, said: “The delivery of this impressive fleet of machinery signals the beginning of a revitalised agriculture department and we are very excited about teaching students with these excellent new resources.”
Gordon Page, Chairman of the Dorset LEP, said: “We’re committed to supporting rural development and are delighted to have secured funding through the Dorset growth deal to finance £200,000 worth of first-class agricultural equipment. Students will really benefit from using this modern machinery and gain invaluable hands-on experience as they look to develop careers in agriculture.”
The new building includes an IT suite, classrooms and high spec workshop for the new equipment. The launch will welcome members of the LEP, local dignitaries, staff and students and celebrates receipt of the new facilities – the latest in a series of investments in College academies over the past three years including the new animal science centre, state-of-the-art horticulture glasshouses and Dorset Studio School.
