It’s not the only reason Pre-apprenticeship mentor farmer David Smith from Auchnagatt offers placements to promising young people but it’s a good one.
And it’s a timely call for more farmers and agricultural businesses to step forward as mentors for the scheme.
Applications are open until 31 March for the cohort starting in June 2025 and it is hoped to offer between 30-35 places. We welcome any enquiries from businesses who can offer a six-month placement of full-time employment from July through to December.
Get involved
So could you share your knowledge, skills and guidance with a young person at the beginning of their career?
Half of all agricultural workers in Scotland are aged 50 or above and the sector needs some 21,000 extra people to join the ranks between 2025 and 2032, according to Skills Development Scotland (SDS) data.
Accredited by the Scottish Rural College (SRUC) and administered by SDS, the successful Land-based Pre-apprenticeship scheme is seen as a perfect way to attract new blood, with 36 agricultural and eight forestry Pre-apprentices starting out this year.
“In the 12 years it’s been operating, this programme has offered hundreds of young people their first step into the industry,” said Ringlink managing director, Graham Bruce.
“Some of those very first entrants now have 12 years of experience and there are some great examples of how they have grasped the opportunity. One is now farm foreman, another has started their own business with many others giving us extremely positive feedback.”
Lasting impact
And mentors have the potential to make a lasting impact on their trainee.
Angus mentor farmer Scott Mather described it like this: “The positives of being a mentor are you’re developing the future workforce for agriculture in our own business, and possibly in the wider agricultural sector.”
And you can watch more of what mentors David Smith and Scott Mather had to say about their experiences by clicking on their names above.
You can find more information here, and if you have any questions, contact Ringlink operations manager Gail Robertson at gail@ringlinkscotland.co.uk.
