If the industry is to be sustainable young people need to be taught the appropriate skills.  

We’ve done our homework and have identified what employers look for in both their current workforce and new recruits and also what their employees look for in return. We plan to take this knowledge and provide a number of opportunities that do not currently exist.

How do we plan to do this?

Working with Scottish Land & Estates, we have developed a new qualification that bridges the gap between those that are currently available and those that industry tells us are required. This work has the backing of rural employers working in the land-based sector. This means that the courses we deliver will be tailored to the needs and requirements of rural employers whist also satisfying the needs of the awarding body.

The newly developed SVQ Level 2 Estate Maintenance is a multi-skills qualification that has been developed in association with rural employers and industry bodies after they identified a move away from the employment of individuals to carry out specific tasks, to employing those who were proficient in a number of estate maintenance activities.

We are also developing and managing programmes for deprived areas of Scotland.  These programmes will afford young people the opportunity to engage in work related activities and experience what working in the land-based sector is like.

This activity means that employers will have confidence in new recruits and new recruits will have confidence in themselves.