Learning and skills

Mairi Gougeon MSP, the new Scottish Minister for Rural Affairs and the Environment, has recently announced that £600,000 of funding will be made available to groups and organisations across Scotland for outdoor learning programmes. Ms.

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Buzzing About Grassland: Profiting from Native Pasture

Species-rich grasslands are an important part of our farming landscape. They provide habitats for birds and pollinators as well as areas of fodder for livestock to eat. How can we better utilise these areas within our farming systems? Does mob grazing work on these sensitive grasslands, and most importantly, how can we profit from these native pastures?

Speakers include Rob Havard of Natural England and Chris Bailey, RSPB Scotland, and the event will include a trip to a local farm.

Basic Seed Production Training Day

A Basic Seed Production Training Day at Newton Dee Camphill Village near Aberdeen. The training will be delivered by Neil Munro, former head of the Heritage Seed Library and manager of the Seed Sovereignty Programme, and Maria Scholten. The training will include some basics of seed production including;

Basic seed saving: biology of seed plants
Basic genetics and number of seed plants
Isolation distances and techniques
Crop Specific roguing and selecting
Drying and Storage

In this new Foundation Apprenticeship opportunity, pupils will have the chance to work in SRUC’s laboratories and the college’s Rural Skills outreach programme will see lecturers deliver classes in East Lothian two days a week.

During a visit to the SRUC stand at the Royal Highland Show, Jamie Hepburn, Scotland’s Employability and Skills Minister, praised the scheme.

Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise have joined forces to fund another three-year-run of this unique and challenging programme, which is aimed at farmers, managers and employees from rural businesses who have a desire to develop their skills and grow their business. The programme can specifically help those that are looking to make a positive change for their sector or rural Scotland, and it also provides a development opportunity for those who feel too busy to further their skills.

Woodland Creation Essentials workshops, Aberdeen

Learn how to identify key issues when preparing applications for grant aid in Scotland at a one day workshop run jointly between the Institute of Chartered Foresters and Forestry Commission Scotland.

Balgay Farm opened its gates on 21 February for an event to teach school children about local farming and food production.

The free Food & Farming Day was organised by the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) Perth & Kinross, sponsored by the Scottish Government's Food and Drink Industry Division.

Over 900 pupils are taking part a project which encourages classes to grow and harvest their own potatoes from scratch.

The Mr Jazzy Potato Project is organised by the Perth & Kinross Initiative of the Royal Highland Educational Trust (RHET) and sponsored by WCF Horticulture, a leading packer and supply chain manager to the horticultural sector, specialising in seed potatoes.

EUROPARC Conference 2018 - Registration now open

The theme for this event will be ‘European Parks: Inspired by the Next Generation’ will focus on what Parks can learn from young people and what changes need to be made to manage protected areas for future generations. Matching the ‘Year of Young People’ designated in Scotland for 2018, the conference will call for young people to be more involved in decision making, volunteering, working and living in Parks.

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