Do you find it difficult to recruit skilled people? Are you interested in working with our partners to improve the number and quality of land-based skills training opportunities in Fife?

In Scotland the land-based and environmental sector employs around 121,000 people. This number had been declining and looks set to continue to do so. Despite this there is a growing need for new entrants because the workforce is an ageing one. Lantra, the relevant sector skills council, forecasts the need for 12,000 new entrants by 2020 to replace those leaving because of retirement or other reasons. Young people and career changers are two groups which are being actively encouraged to consider training for skilled work in this sector.

In Fife, as in Scotland as a whole, there is a need to improve the practical skills of new entrants before the knowledge and skills gained by older workers are lost to us. There is also a need to help new entrants develop business skills such as leadership, management and marketing as well as skills for self-employment. This is because the vast majority of businesses (96%) in this sector are microbusinesses employing fewer than 10 people and over half the sector’s workforce in Scotland is self-employed. This proportion looks set to increase.