Apprenticeships key to bringing new blood into industry

there are many career choices open to young people leaving school these days and there is a need for industries to go out and attract them into their sector.

That is the view put by Jamie Smart, of the National Farmers Union of Scotland, who was speaking at Strathmore Farming Company, at Glamis where various agencies involved in training the next generation were promoting apprenticeship week.

Smart said his message was especially relevant for farming as the industry was working with an increasingly aged workforce. So, he stated, there was an urgent need to attract new blood into the industry.

“The good news is that a growing number of people want to enter the industry and gain both practical and theoretical farming skills. The farm-based agricultural modern apprenticeship presents a tremendous opportunity for the industry to attract young people to the sector in a way that benefits the apprentice, the employer and ultimately the Scottish food and farming industry as a whole.”

Apprenticeships are already a part of the recruitment process at Strathmore, where farms director David Soutar has introduced a graduate management training scheme, which has seen two graduates enter full-time employment with the company.

The company also has recently employed Bruce Arnott, who joined Strathmore in April on the apprenticeship scheme and there is the intention to create further apprenticeships further down the line. “Having a positive approach to the training and recruitment of youngsters keen to work in our industry has been very rewarding and worthwhile for us,” he said.”

“Bruce Arnott came to us on a new modern apprenticeship in April. He came to work on our livestock side and has been seconded to help with harvest, giving him a broad range of farming skills and training. He is getting on just great and the apprenticeship has seen him develop a lot in the last four months.”

Mary Mitchell, Lantra regional partnership manager, described the modern apprenticeship scheme as giving quality, hands-on experience while at the same time giving a nationally recognised qualification. “They offer lots of benefits to businesses, from dedicated workers to increasing business competitiveness while providing the apprentice an opportunity to develop their skills and career in the sector.”