There are two main ways of gaining the skills required to work on the land – you can learn on the job, or you can study at college or university.

Many people feel they learn better by actually doing the job and lots of employers prefer to recruit people who have demonstrated important skills at work such as good timekeeping, listening and working effectively.

An apprenticeship or formal work training placement can be a great way to learn. You are paid while you train and you usually spend some time studying at college too. Your learning is assessed formally so you can get important qualifications which will help you get your next paid job.

One very good first step is to volunteer with an organisation which works in the area you are interested in. This helps you find out if you like the work and also helps you make contacts. Contacts are very important because a lot of jobs are never advertised. You will hear about them through word of mouth but that happens most easily when you know people in the industry.

There are lots of organisations involved in offering and explaining training opportunities in rural skills. Listed right, are are a few of the places you can go for more information and advice.