Taking a hands-on approach to learning

Published on Wednesday 5 August 2009 19:24

MUCH has been heard from the pinnacle of the political scene of the need to create new employment opportunities.

More land will, allegedly, be made available for rent on sensible agreements with a degree of security. Measures are also promised to address the drastic reduction in live stock numbers, particularly relating to breeding herds of cattle and sheep.

Brian Pack, the former chief executive of the ANM Group, will deliver a range of recommendations that might just put a brake on the erosion of livestock numbers. Pack's preliminary report to the government is anticipated in December.

However, one topic that appears to have slipped under the radar is the growing shortage of suitably qualified labour within the wider agricultural industry.

The official census figures show that as of December 1997 it was estimated that there were 12,200 full-time occupiers on Scottish farms with a further 3,100 farmers working on a part-time basis. Move on a decade and the full-time equivalent has slipped to little over 9,000 active farmers.

But the most worrying feature is that the strength of the paid force over the same period has slumped from 15,700 to little more than 10,000 employees.

Any moves designed to encourage expansion in the livestock sectors will fail unless suitable labour is available. A good shepherd can expect to receive approaching 30,000 a year, including fringe benefits.

It sounds like decent money, but few of the younger generation are willing to bind themselves to a regime that allows little time for relaxation.

The Scottish Agricultural College recently reported that student applications were running at the highest level for many years. But graduates and those qualifying with diplomas from SAC mostly view their future career choices as likely to be based on a more technical field: not for them the travails of shearing sheep or calving cows in the middle of the night.

However, Oatridge College in West Lothian has been turning out over the past 40 years students who are not afraid to get their hands dirty.

The vast majority of Oatridge students are involved a range of apprenticeships and similar qualifications. In recent years it has become apparent that the employers of these students simply could not afford to lose their young trainees for an extended period, especially during busy times down on the farm.

But that is set to change according to Peter Scott, who leads the agricultural team at Oatridge.

He said: "We listened to farmers and one of the most important things they told us was that they couldn't have their apprentices away for prolonged periods at college.

"Under the revised regime, students will spend just two weeks a year at college with their progress on farms being monitored by tutors and visiting assessors.

"This way the apprentices will get the skill and knowledge they require without putting too much strain on their employers."