Regional trainers' contribution recognised

01/03/2011 - Rural Training Links (RTL), a consortium of nine land-based trainers, has received high-profile recognition for its work from ourselves and Skills Minister John Hayes MP and at an event held recently (11 February) in Spalding.

Helping farmers, foresters and growers

LandSkills EM programme is funded under the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) and managed by the East Midlands Development Agency to provide the skills required by the region's farming, production horticulture and forestry industries. It offers farmers and growers based in the region up to 70% of the costs of their training and technology transfer.

 

At the presentation ceremony at Spalding Horticultural Training Group our CEO Peter Martin said: "As the Sector Skills Council for the land-based and environmental industries, we know that training, skills and workforce development are essential to business success. So when, RTL exceeded all expectations, training more than 800 people over the last year, we thought they deserved recognition.

"RTL was contracted by our LandSkills EM programme - which we manage on behalf of the East Midlands Development Agency's Rural Development Programme - to provide training for 438 people but they helped almost twice as many, running over 840 training days over the last 12 months. This is an incredible achievement."

Lorna Howitt of Spalding Horticultural Training Group, is Project Manager of RTL. She said: "Between November 2009 and September 2010 we've trained more than 800 people.  The Government believes that training and development - helping people acquire new skills - will help business drive the Country out of debt.

Working with businesses to carry out the training needs analysis we offered LandSkills funded training to land-based businesses throughout the East Midlands.

"RTL has run a range of training, including senior level management and director programmes, as well as supervisory, technical, financial and environmental courses. The project's success has led to increased demand and RTL will deliver 1175 trainee-training-days over the next 12 months."

Hargreaves Plants, which specialise in the breeding and propagation of soft fruit plants and asparagus crowns, received training through RTL as a result of the LandSkills EM grant.   Managing Director Rupert Hargreaves said: "This funding is a major benefit to our business.  We are training people at all levels from basic level plant skills, accounts and customer care, right through to directors' training at the Institute of Directors.

"We're expanding rapidly now in UK sectors as well as in the export market, this could not be achieved without the right skills.  We can already see, as a result of this government training initiative, that our company will once again require increased staffing levels for next year.  Strikes me it's a win-win." 

Spalding Horticultural Training Group has been an approved City & Guilds Centre for more than 20 years. Centre Manager Lorna Howitt said: "Over the last year we have helped 18 candidates achieve the Level 2 and 3 NVQ and Diploma in Production Horticulture. 

"I am delighted we have been joined at this event by some of our apprentices and their employers.  Our programme of work-based learning and assessment has proved to be very successful over the years with some apprentices going on to higher education, returning to the industry and now working in senior management positions."