Houghall Campus - Land Based Short Course Training

Whilst you might be familiar with East Durham College Houghall Campus's fantastic reputation for providing high quality training and education in a wide range of land based disciplines, you might not know how it can help you or your business to thrive.

At the College we offer a wide range of practical short courses which are designed to meet the needs of both the business and the individual. Our courses are industry focussed. They aim to get you or your employees quickly up to speed with the need-to-know knowledge and qualifications your industry sector demands.

This following listing aims to provide you with an overview of the most popular courses we have on offer. If you can’t see anything which meets your needs please do get in touch – we will look to design a course specifically to meet your business requirements.

Animal Care:
• Basic Dog Training (20 hours)
• First Aid for Dogs (1 day)
• Transportation of Animals (1/2 day or more, neg.)
• Large Livestock Handling (1 day)
• Handling of Exotic Animals (3 hours)
• Foundation Course in Dog Agility (10 days)
• Foundation Course in Dog Grooming (12 days)
• Beginners Falconry & Owl Course (10 hours)
• Level 2 NVQ in Droving (20 days)
• Sheep Dipping (5 hours)
• Animal Welfare (3 hours)
• Please see further Equine related courses listed below

Arboriculture (Tree Care), Forestry & Horticulture:
• Chainsaw Maintenance (CS Unit 30) (2 days)
• Tree Felling, Inc. Small Trees (CS Unit 31) (3 days)
• Advanced Tree Felling, Medium to Large Trees (CS Unit 32 & 33) (3 days)
• Basic Tree Climbing, Inc. Climb Trees and Perform Aerial Tree Rescue (CS Unit 38) (5 days)
• Operate the Chainsaw from a Rope with Harness (CS Unit 39) (3 days)
• Pole Pruning (CS Unit 48) (1 day)
• Advance Pruning and Dismantling (5 days)
• Tree Inspections (5 days)
• Trees and Buildings (5 days)
• Tree Surveys (5 days)
• Tree Decay Detection (3 days)

Arboricultural, Environmental and Woodland Services:
• Tree care services
• Woodland work and consultancy
• Arboricultural consultancy
• Environmental contracting

Equestrian:
• British Horse Society - Riding & Road Safety (12 hours)
• Horse Knowledge and Care Level 1 (50 hours over 25 weeks)
• Horse Knowledge and Care Level 2 (50 hours over 25 weeks)

Estate Skills:
• Dry Stone Walling (3 days)
• Hedge Laying (5 days)
• Fence Erection (2 days)
• Hard Landscaping (2 days)
• Abrasive Wheels Regulations (1/2 day)

Floristry:
• Flower Design for Complete Beginners
• Wedding Masterclass 1 (Intermediate)
• Wedding Masterclass 2 (Advance)
• Contemporary Funeral and Sympathy Flowers Masterclass 1 (Intermediate)
• Church/Function Flowers Masterclass 1 (Intermediate) 

Horticulture & Amateur Gardening (30 hours):

Autumn Term:
• Sites, Soils & Cultivation
• Plant Propagation
Spring Term:
• Beds & Borders
• Garden Design
• Trees, Shrubs & Hedges
• Growing Fruit
Summer Term:
• Organic Gardening
• Practical Garden Tasks
• Ponds & Water Features in Gardens
• Growing Vegetables & Salads

Horticulture - Turf Culture:
• Sports Area; Marking Out: Winter Pitches (2 days)
• Spring Maintenance of Fine Sports Turfs (1 day)
• Autumn Maintenance of Fine Sports Turf (1 day)
• Cricket Wicket Preparation and Maintenance (1 day) 

Machinery & Mechanisation:
• Tractor Operation and Basic Maintenance (2 days)
• Operation and Maintenance for Tractor Mounted Implements (1 day)
• Ride-on Mowers Operation and Maintenance (College Certificate) (1 day)
• Hedgecutters (College Certificate) (1 day)
• Pedestrian Mowers Operation & Maintenance (College Certificate) (1 day)
• All Terrain Vehicles (ATV) Operation and Basic Maintenance (1 day)
• Trailer Manoeuvres and Reversing (1 day)
• Gravedigging (1 to 4 days)
• Bushcutter/Strimmer (Cord or Metal Blade) (College Certificate) (1 day)
• Brushwood Chipper (1/2 day)
• Stump Grinder (1 day)
 
National Highways Sector Scheme (NHSS) 18
• Health and Safety Modules (ROLO) (2 days)
• Basic First Aid (6 hours)
• First Aid at Work (2 days)
• Paediatric First Aid (4 days)
• Sports First Aid (2 days)
 
Pesticide Courses:
• Pesticide Regulations Appreciation Course for Managers/Officers (3 days)
• Safe Use of Pesticides (PA1) Foundation Module (1 day)
• Hand Held Applications (PA6) (1 day)
• Field Crop Sprayers (PA2) (2 days)
• 'Basis' Amenity Pest Management
• 'Basis' Storekeepers (2 days)

The College also offers a range of arboricultural and horticultural contracting and consultancy services.

A number of our full time land based courses can also be delivered on a part time or workforce development bases. To review all our full time land based courses please click here to see our Online Land Based Courses Guide 2010/11.

Short Course dates are available throughout the year - please call the Short Course Team on 0191 375 4716 for more details.