To kick start a £4 million LandSkills winter training season, Lantra Sector Skills Council held a number of activities to mark the first ever LandSkills Week (28 September – 2 October 2009), which aimed to highlight what this funding can offer farmers, growers and foresters in six regions across England.
Available across Yorkshire and Humber, the North East, South East, East Midlands, West Midlands and East of England LandSkills, managed by Lantra as part of the Rural Development Programme for England, provides up to 80% funding to help farmers, foresters and growers invest in skills and develop their business.
Lantra National Director for England, Madge Moore, said: “In times of recession it's not every day that you can announce there is such a staggering amount of money available for industry to access. LandSkills Week was a great way to highlight that this money is available now and show businesses in the LandSkills regions that the funding covers a wide range of flexible training activities and not just the basics.”
The week of events included:
Moore continued: “The variety of events to be held during LandSkills Week shows just how diverse and flexible the LandSkills programme can be. It will demonstrate what is coming up in the new programmes in the West Midlands and East Midlands, talking to people who have already benefited from the programme and attending LandSkills funded courses to find out how easy it is to sign up.”
So far LandSkills has funded a wide range of activities in areas such as agronomy, nutrient management, resource efficiency, herd and flock management, breeding, disease recognition, butchery skills, sustainable forestry practices, and conservation management, tree and woodland eco-systems, marketing, business management, farm specific IT and more.
