An apprentice could be the missing link on your farm

Businesses of any size of operation can take on an apprentice and there is now funding available on a first-come first-served basis.

The Scottish Government has increased support for apprenticeships through the Apprenticeship Employer Grant (AEG) which is worth up to £5000 to employers.

The fund remains open until March 25 but individuals are encouraged to apply early to avoid missing out.

More information is at: https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/for-training-providers/apprenticeship-employer-grant-aeg/.

NFU Scotland’s vice president Charlie Adam encouraged mentors to step forward and view taking on an apprentice as a sound investment in the future. “If you are considering creating an employment opportunity, this grant could be the stimulus you need to go down that route.

“To be clear, this offer is open to all and we urge those in the agricultural sector who are interested to act quickly as other industries with bigger employers and HR departments will make use of it,” he explained.

“For those who have swithered about taking on an apprentice, or indeed upskilling an existing member of staff, please consider this attractive incentive.”

Before the Scottish Government formally announced the AEG scheme this January, Lantra had already been involved in a pilot scheme to measure the benefits which apprentices bring to businesses.

“Lantra has already been piloting a similar scheme with four mentors, monitoring what these young people bring to a business,” Lantra chair Henry Graham told the SF. “This has never been done before and is really important to illustrate to new mentors why they should get on board.

“Some individuals are frightened to take on an apprentice as they haven’t been through the process for a long time,” continued Mr Graham. “That is why we developed an online employers toolkit to offer support and information, for example on establishing contracts and staff appraisals.

“We really need to bring new mentors and employers on board as it is vital we get the next generation interested and established in having a role within the industry.

“The land-based pre-apprenticeship didn’t halt this year despite Covid-19 and there are now close to 40 individuals who are due to finish their training shortly and it is important to find opportunities for them.

“Some will be kept on by current mentors but that takes those mentors out of our pool, so we are always looking for new individuals to come on board.”

James Orr, Milton of Belbo Farm

Fife-based James Orr – who manages a mixed-farming unit near Cupar – signed up to become a mentor four years ago and has never looked back. Taking on new apprentices has given his business as well as himself and his staff a real boost.

James Orr

“It all started four years ago at the Royal Highland Show after a conversation I had at Lantra's stand,” recalled Mr Orr. “We were light on staff, and I didn’t really know what I was looking for and was a bit unaware of apprenticeships at the time. I had a few reservations – what was the cost, how much time would be involved, what support was out there and with the uncertainty in the industry, could we spend time on an individual?”

That conversation led Mr Orr to a young lady called Erica Taylor who was not from a farming background, but teaming with potential and she soon became integrated in the whole team.

“We always thought much of the training would be away from the farm – which could take a pair of hands away at busy times – but that is not case," continued Mr Orr. "With modern apprenticeships, 99% of training happens on the farm either by myself or any of my team.”

“From day one we had had excellent value from Erica. Some people worry that taking on a Modern Apprentice might not be very productive at an early stage, but that’s not a situation that we’ve found.

“Taking on Erica strengthened our team and raised our profile as a business,” continued Mr Orr. “We have had more people come to us wanting to do an apprenticeship.”

Erica Taylor

That is how Mr Orr came to take on his recent apprentice Euan Goodwin, who is really enjoying working with the team.

“Through this placement I have grown in confidence and I’m more aware of how to undertake tasks on the farm,” said Euan. “Mentoring is a key part of the apprenticeship and my co-workers love it. I find that they take pride in explaining how to do tasks.

“In mentoring, if they are positive, I’m positive – I see them all as role models and I work harder to impress them,” he said.

“I am half-way through my experience, but I have already learnt so much and know there is so much more to come. My aim is to be a farm manager one day and I want to share my knowledge with other apprentices in the same way that my team has helped me.”

Mr Orr was keen to encourage other employers to get involved with mentoring: “It has allowed us to grab other opportunities we might not have taken if we hadn’t had an apprentice on board. The energy and enthusiasm apprentices bring to the business rubs off not just on fellow employees but on the business owner themselves,” he laughed.

“The employers toolkit is an important document to guide you through the process of mentoring. We have all made mistakes, but it is great to have a manual to go back to and recognise how I should have handled situations differently. There is a massive amount of support out there to help you along the way.

“Sometimes people think mentoring is about passing on your knowledge to the apprentice, it has actually grown my knowledge. Having a youngster prompting you with new ideas and new thoughts is really refreshing.”

Daye Tucker, Carbeth Home Farm

Lawrence martin didn’t come from a farming background but always dreamed of working in agriculture. He studied for an HNC in Agriculture at Scotland’s Rural College before going on to do a Modern Apprenticeship with Daye Tucker at Carbeth Home Farm in Balfron.

“I was getting tired both mentally and physically running this farm on my own, with the occasional contractor coming in at a time which suited them,” said Ms Tucker. “The challenge of not knowing if they were coming was getting me down in terms of my mental health. One day I was on Twitter and up came this request for someone looking for work experience and it was Lawrence.

“I offered him work experience and then he came out and helped us to select lambs to go for Scotbeef and then came for lambing. He was starting from nothing but picked things up so quickly.”

Daye Tucker

After completing his HNC at Oatridge, Lawrence went on to become an apprentice, which allowed him to put what he had learned in to practice in a controlled environment.

“Any success I have had is down to Daye’s attitude,” said Lawrence. “She is very forthcoming with information and has shown me the accounts and books, previous history of the business and how it has developed. Any shortfalls that have gone wrong and successes. The crux of making it successful is exposure to all the stuff you wouldn’t normally get without an apprenticeship.”

Ms Tucker has now taken Lawrence on full-time and is exploring partnerships and the potential to build a house on the place to keep him at Carbeth.

“It has been worth every penny taken him on,” Ms Tucker continued. “We have a lot less contractors on farm which also saves a lot of money. “The benefit to me hasn’t just been improving the bottom line but helping with the technology side of things. I am rubbish at it but have invested a lot of money in tech and didn’t know how to operate it. Lawrence had all these skills at his fingertips, he has made all this investment actually bring return.

“He has taught me so much, I’m more au fait with my computer. I would say it is an equal share of his skills transferring to me and my skills transferring to him.

“It doesn’t matter how small your farm is, you will still get something out of the right apprentice and Lantra will make sure that you and the apprentice fit with each other,” she concluded.