Course Summary
Course Category: Northern Ireland (UU & CAFRE) - Apply through UCAS
CAFRE in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) is delighted to launch a new 'study first' and work Apprenticeship opportunity. Starting in September 2025, study at Loughry Campus with an Apprenticeship employment contract with some of Northern Ireland's leading food businesses on the new Food and Drink Academy. The Food and Drink Academy offers you one academic year of student life, before three subsequent years of a combination of work and study. On the job training and the payment of a salary will be on-going throughout the duration of the four year Food and Drink Academy.
On successful completion of the four years of the training you will be awarded a Level 6 BSc (Hons) Degree in Food and Drink Manufacture, validated by Ulster University.
College Link
Career Sectors
This course prepares you for working in the Career Sectors below. Follow the links to get a fuller understanding of the sectors you are preparing for.
Language Options
Entry Requirements
UCAS Tariff Points:
or
UCAS Grades:
Leaving Cert entry requirements:
QQI entry requirements
Disclaimer: Details subject to change - If this is a course you are considering applying for you should check on the Colleges' website to ensure you have the latest entry requirements information.
Leaving Cert Grades and UCAS Points
The following table may help you calculating your Leaving cert grades into UCAS points:
If you believe the data above to be incorrect, please let us know at [email protected] - thank you.
QQI / FET Links
Points Calculator for QQI Awards:
Details of the QQI scoring system and a points calculator can be found HERE
The Student
Career Interests
This course is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests. If these interests do not describe you, this course may prepare you for work you may not find satisfying.
Naturalist
Not surprisingly, some aspect of the natural sciences will run through the Naturalist's interests - from ecological awareness to nutrition and health. People with an interest in horticulture, land usage and farming (including fish) are Naturalists.
Some Naturalists focus on animals rather than plants, and may enjoy working with, training, caring for, or simply herding them. Other Naturalists will prefer working with the end result of nature's produce - the food produced from plants and animals. Naturalists like solving problems with solutions that show some sensitivity to the environmental impact of what they do. They like to see practical results and prefer action to talking and discussing.
Creative
Creative people are drawn to careers and activities that enable them to take responsibility for the design, layout or sensory impact of something (visual, auditory etc). They may be atrracted to the traditional artistic pursuits such as painting, sculpture, singing, or music. Or they may show more interest in design activities, such as architecture, animation, or craft areas, such as pottery and ceramics.
Creative people use their personal understanding of people and the world they live in to guide their work. Creative people like to work in unstructured workplaces, enjoy taking risks and prefer a minimum of routine.
Career Progression
This programme may provide students with the opportunity to progress within their own organisation and to further their education through progression on to Postgraduate Master’s Degree programmes.
The course has been designed to develop employees within the food industry to undertake management roles including operations, technical, continuous improvement, food safety and compliance, environmental management and product innovation.
