The SYRS Project comes to an end on the 31st December 2007 after 5 years of funding training to land-based businesses in the area.
The aim of the project was to broaden the agriculture and forestry skills base and increase business effectiveness through training in South Yorkshire. The project has funded training to the value of £1.4million to over 550 businesses. Former police officers Paul and Annie Clayton exchanged life in the force for a new career in tree surgery. Training was therefore essential in enabling the couple to realise their ambition of running their own business and that is when they took advantage of the SYRS project. Thanks to their acknowledgement of the importance in skills and training and with SYRS and their investment in skills, their business quickly became a success.
Annie said: “In setting up the new business, we have had to invest a lot of money in equipment. Lantra sponsored the training, which has been essential. Without the support from Lantra, the outlay for equipment and training would have been impossible for a new, small business.”
Paul added: “I can honestly say that I have always learnt something valuable on every course I have been on. We have been able to schedule our work around training so it hasn’t been difficult absorbing the time spent on training into the business.
We have invested a lot of time and money in training and equipment and it has paid off. Thanks to the help of the project the business has no debts, a really good capital asset base and we’ll have a turnover of £75,000 this year.”
As with any diversification, you need to have the right training and qualifications, because if you are not fully trained it is difficult to get work. Thanks to the SYRS Project I am now able to pursue my dream.“
Lantra’s SYRS Project Manager, Helen Spooner, said: “The success of the SYRS project has been fantastic and I am so pleased to have been involved in such a beneficial project.
“Paul and Annie Clayton are a typical example of how the project has helped businesses and individuals across the region and it is great to show how the project actively benefits all those that take up the opportunities available.”
The SYRS Project was part of the Objective 1 Programme for South Yorkshire and was part financed by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund of the European Union (EAGGF) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
