AgriSkills

The AgriSkills Forum is helping farmers and growers to recognise the skills they have and encourages training and development. Read more...

AgriSkills Strategy

Towards a new professionalism.

 

The AgriSkills Forum provides an innovative approach to addressing skills issues facing the UK’s farmers and growers. It encourages profitable and sustainable agriculture and commercial horticulture industries. It aspires to such industries being valued by society, with skills development embedded into everyday business practice.  These businesses will have the skills and knowledge to meet the challenges of agriculture and land management in the 21st century.

As the Skills Council for our sector, we played a pivotal role in the AgriSkills Forum since it began in Autumn 2008. We were also very involved in the development of the AgriSkills Strategy.

The initiative has achieved ground breaking collaboration between the major agricultural organisations and Lantra remains at the heart of this work.

The AgriSkills Strategy is called “Towards a new Professionalism” and aims to:

• Recognise and celebrate the existing skills of farmers and growers
• Encourage ongoing development and investment in skills
• Promote skills development and the concept of professionalism as central to business improvement
• Work with farm assurance schemes to ensure they operate to common principles and add value
• Promote farming as a professional and progressive place to work
• Provide governments with a strong and influential partner to develop skills policy and meet future challenges
• Support the industry as a priority sector.

The initiative spotlights a profession of highly skilled and technically knowledgeable farmers and growers who work in a priority industry. That industry aims to be valued and seen as an attractive career of choice. 

We have been working together to deliver the AgriSkills strategy for over 12 months.  Check out our work so far.

Richard Longthorp, Yorkshire farmer and Chair of Lantra’s England Council  plays a key role in developing the strategy, together with representatives from Lantra, the National Farmers Union, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, Landex colleges and the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs.