Almost 90 women will have completed female-only tractor driving courses by the end of July, according to Jane Marks, marketing manager with FRS Network.

The original pilot course which took place in April, in Virginia, Co Cavan had significant demand, with women travelling from Donegal, Wexford and Galway.

Since then, there have been further courses in Cavan, Galway and Galway, with two upcoming courses in July in Galway and Tipperary both fully booked.

Clodagh Weir of FRS Training, based in Galway, said: “The feedback I’ve got is that the women liked the fact that it was an all-female course, that it makes them more comfortable.”

“People mightn’t have much experience and are shown the right way from the start so are less likely to develop bad habits and feel more competent operating a tractor afterwards.”

Weir pointed out that the trainers start from the basics, but that there is a mixture of abilities and ages among the participants.

Courses

The course covers all the main elements of tractor driving with a combination of classroom-based learning and hands-on experience.

There are two courses on 12 July and 19 July, in Ballyconnell, Co Cavan which are open for bookings. The cost is €130 per person and the courses are open to over 18s only.

Teenagers

FRS Training is also running a Safe Tractor driving course for teenagers aged 12 and over on 13 July in Ballyconnell, Co Cavan.

The aim of the course is to equip learners with the skills and knowledge to be able to carry out the daily checks for tractors and to be able to drive and operate with equipment and attachments to the required standard.

Students must be accompanied by an adult and learners must have written permission from a guardian to attend.

The cost of the course is €100 per person and will begin at 9.30am.

Schools

FRS Training has run the safe tractor driving course with teenagers through secondary schools for over a decade and interested schools are invited to make contact to arrange a course.

Community groups are also encouraged to form groups and FRS Training can set up a course to suit the needs of the group.

More information

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