With over 40 years’ experience working with employers and training providers, Lantra are proud to help the UK and Ireland’s environmental and land-based industries upskill the next generation of workers through apprenticeships.
We know that when it comes to considering a brand-new career, whatever your aspirations, nothing beats hearing it straight from those in the know.
As an End Point Assessment Organisation, Lantra has been speaking to some of our most recent success stories. We hope they will inspire you to pursue your chosen career!
James Chapman is the fourth-generation to work at his family's farm, Hunt Hill, in Driffield, East Riding of Yorkshire.
Newly qualified as a General Farm Worker (Level 2), James, 17, is passionate about carrying on a family tradition stretching back to 1944 when his great grandfather first launched the business.
Hunt Hill's 300 acres are devoted to arable and dairy farming - 120 of them yielding higher tier quality milk from the family's 135 pedigree Holstein cows, with wheat, barley and maize (for cattle feed) grown on the remaining land.
"I've grown up with farming in my blood," says James, who tends his own flock of pedigree Suffolk sheep, "and I knew very early on that it was what I wanted to do as a career.”
"My dad [Andrew] and grandad [Mike] both work full time on the farm. Grandad is 80 and probably works hardest of us all," he laughs.
Qualifying this January from the two-year course he began in October 2021, James almost forgets to mention that he completed his Level 2 eight months early from Askham Bryan College, near York.
"The course work was challenging but really interesting and covered animal health and welfare, biosecurity and legislation, machinery and the process from seeding to harvesting. I learned a lot and everything on the course was relevant to my job.
"I also liked the end-point assessment being conducted at the farm," James adds. "The assessor arrived at 9am and questioned me in the workplace throughout the day."
Eager to progress further in farming, James is already planning his next move to upskill. "I am thinking about starting my Level 3 this autumn," he reports. "If I'm to head up the family business one day, I need to continue learning. Training helps you expand your ambitions and gives you fresh ideas to apply on your own farm."
Meanwhile he knuckles down to what many would view as an exhausting schedule for the day job. When taking his turn at milking, he rises at 4.30am. "I prefer milking in the morning, which takes about two and a half hours, and I enjoy mixing the ration for the cows.” James feels fortunate to be involved in both dairy and arable farming.
"It's the cows I admire most - they are the heart and soul of the farm. Without them we wouldn't have anything.”
"Last on my list is feeding the sheep. When they're out in the fields, we have plenty of collies to round them up and bring them in - Jess is my favourite though."
How about the highs and lows of his work? "Mucking out is probably my least favourite job - every three weeks I help lead away 300 tonnes of manure. We are involved in a muck for straw agreement with a nearby arable farmer.”
By way of a hobby, James likes to plough. "I first competed in a ploughing match when I was 13 years old. We bought a John Deere 5090R tractor and a two-furrow match plough last year specifically for competitions," he says. "I practice when time allows on unused land and compete regionally to qualify for the national event."
He's very determined, says Joanne [James’ mum]. "He came third, as a YFC member, at the national competition last year, held at Chatsworth House," she reports.
Joanne works on the farm and teaches part-time at a local infant school, knows what qualifying has meant to James. "He worked really hard on the course and is thrilled to have passed.”
"Classroom-based learning is not his favourite option," she adds, "so we're all proud of his achievement. James loves the farming way of life and when he's on the farm, he's motivated and ready for anything." As James puts it: "When you're working, you're learning."
Joanne again: "He's very ambitious for the business and spends time on his phone searching for equipment and machinery to buy. There are also plans for a new calf shed."
At a time when agriculture is in sore need of young blood entering the sector, James is a powerful role model for others thinking of farming as a career - not that you'll have to look too far afield to find another one.
"James' sister Stella is in the second year of her foundation degree in agriculture, also at Askham Bryan College," Joanne reveals.
The family firm can look forward to what promises to be a sustainable future, it seems. "Farming is a happy life for me," James concludes. "I don't see it as a job but a way of life. The work ethic is big but so enjoyable."
My job in three words: "fun, busy, inspiring"
If you’re interested in a career in farming or any other industry in the land-based and environmental sector, check out Lantra’s new website for comprehensive information on job roles, career paths and support training and qualifications.