TO MEET the need for a more diverse network of training instructors – evidenced by Lantra's own research and reinforced by the Scottish Government’s Future Strategy for Scottish Agriculture – Lantra Scotland ran the 'Springboard for Rural Skills' project earlier this year.

For Don and Cara Cameron, crofters from Lairg in Sutherland, help from the Springboard project came at just the right time. Cara had been working as a youth development officer while Don was running his own agricultural contracting business. The couple also look after nearly 200 hectares, covering three crofts and two shares in a common grazing area.

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Don had already been approached by Lantra to become a certified ATV/tractor instructor, but having to take time away from work and pay for the instructor training was a risk. The Springboard project provided much needed funding to cover the costs, as well as professional development support for both Don and Cara. Both were also keen to launch the area’s first agricultural skills centre, so the additional mentorship and training provided would come in handy.

Don said: “I lost my arm a little over eight years ago in a farming accident, and although I can still work pretty much as I did before, it made me think a lot more about the future.

"The Springboard project was a lifeline, as I got professional development skills and funding for Lantra certified ATV and tractor instructor technical verifications. I can now earn an extra income in the quieter autumn and winter months through instructing, while working the crofts and doing contracting jobs at busier times in the spring and summer.

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"Being able to instruct from home has given me more time for crofting, and allowed me to reduce my contracting hours, which is more physically demanding. So it’s a win win for me.”

Don is also relishing being able to pass on his skills and knowledge to the younger generation. He said: ”The great thing about being an instructor is that you’re sharing your learning with someone else, so it isn’t wasted. As well as getting my health and safety and first aid certificates, the scheme included instructor training, which has helped me become a better teacher. It made me think more about how I go about doing things, especially with health and safety. One thing my accident has taught me is that you can never be too careful.”

Cara also did her health and safety and first aid courses. A key part of the Springboard project was to provide complementary professional development to supplement existing skills, as well as support and mentorship. Being able to offer Lantra accredited courses has brought credibility to the couple’s fledgling skills centre, as well as much needed mentoring and support.

Cara said: “The Springboard project has given us the push we needed to get the skills centre up and running to provide accredited rural skills qualifications. There’s a real issue locally in keeping young people here, as limited employment opportunities mean many of them end up leaving the area to go to college or university and don’t return. We hope the skills centre will give them a reason to stay.

"We have lots of plans, and we’re both grateful for the support the Springboard project’s given us for professional development and in helping us to develop and diversify our businesses.”

Funded by the National Transition Training Fund between January and March 2021, the Springboard for Rural Skills project aimed to increase the number and types of instructors supporting quality assured training in Scotland’s land-based, aquaculture and other rural industries. It provided a range of development training courses, mentoring and support, as well as funding for complementary business diversification and development.

The Springboard project enabled the upskilling and reskilling of new entrants and career changers, including those impacted by redundancy, which has become an increasingly common result of Covid-19. It also aimed to increase rural business resilience, adaptation and diversification through a more skilled workforce and help support Scotland’s ‘green recovery’ and climate emergency response objectives.

If you are interested in learning more about Cara and Don’s work, visit their website at Lochview Rural Training. If you would like to learn more about becoming an instructor, then visit Lantra’s website.