Newly qualified Crop Technician Angus Fox loves the great outdoors. When he's not playing rugby for the local team Market Deeping, he's game or clay pigeon shooting.
"I've got my work/life balance back with weekends now free for leisure," says the 19-year-old, who passed his Level 3 apprenticeship from Riseholme College in Lincoln in September 2022.
He upskilled while working at Vine House Farm in Deeping St Nicholas, Lincolnshire, completing his apprenticeship four months early. "I miss farming," he says, "and will always be a country boy at heart. It's in my chinos.”
"The Ag sector is one big family; everyone is so passionate about it. You have your moments - tractors break down and things go wrong - but it's a way of life."
Angus has moved into a role as a seed sales specialist with Grainseed and will now have a strong presence on the farm supporting merchants, and agents all over the country selling everything from grass seed, maize and, other forage seeds to gravel bags, as well as additives, silage sheets and everything cereal to livestock and arable farms.
"I should clock up 25,000 to 40,000 miles a year but driving's great so I couldn't wish for a better career move," he enthuses.
Angus started working life as a window fitter before his switch to farming with the realisation that he needed to become skilled to progress further.
"They were a great bunch on my course, and we all became really good mates and keep in touch.
"My tutor, Trevor CaIrns, really inspired me. He kept pushing and prodding and knew just how to teach and motivate, spending time with me. It was Trevor who helped place me at Vine House Farm for my apprenticeship.
"All he wants is the very best for his students. After completing the course, we discussed a load of career options. I think he was just as happy as I was when I landed the job at Grainseed."
"I adored driving tractors, so I was really interested in the elements of the course dealing with how to get the best out of them and implements."
But crop health and nutrition also proved a captivating topic. "It's at the heart of everything farmers do" he states.
Where does he see himself in a few years? "Well, I'd like to become the company's top salesman. I'm a natural, people tell me - very talkative and confident".
"Sales can be hard work and I'm learning all the time from my work colleagues," he adds. "They are the best aspect of the job. They have so much knowledge – there’s not a great deal they don’t know regarding all the different varieties of crops we sell.
"And they told me that most of the questions my customers ask me they already know the answers to - they just want to find out if I know what I'm talking about. A very handy tip."
Clearly in his element, Angus has wasted no time putting the knowledge and skills he acquired on his Level 3 apprenticeship to good use in an environment where he already feels well at home in.
"Still early days for me I know but there are no downsides to the job. I'm committed to learning as much as I can to achieve. I enjoyed the classroom environment as well as the hands-on side - tractor driving was a thrill, on your own, outdoors, doing your own thing - but it's time to move on to the next stage."
My job describes in three words: "Challenging but fulfilling”.
