Hazel Gall is a partner in the family farm in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, a mixed farm with around 3,000 cattle. When a guidance teacher from Ellon Academy contacted her about work experience, she was keen to support.
“The teacher remembered we had livestock from my own children being at the school. She got in touch as there was a pupil who wanted to become a vet, and thought she would be a good fit with our business. The request was for the pupil to be with us for one week’s work placement, to get real-life experience of looking after animals on the farm”.
“The pupil shadowed me performing husbandry tasks for the cattle, such as administering vaccines. This included administration paperwork – it’s important to keep records up to date and it was good for her to what’s involved. She also needed to get to the farm on time and work as part of a team – all good things for her to learn about to prepare for a job”.
“The placement was a great success, and I’d do it again – as a business, you need to think about how the person will fit in, how they will do in the environment, but you can really see them come on and gain confidence; they go away with skills they wouldn’t get in a classroom”.
“I think it’s important for employers to get involved with local schools, especially for farming businesses. As well as work experience, we host primary school visits – all this helps young people to understand our work and what’s involved on a farm, challenging perceptions. As an industry, we’re so passionate about what we do – we help to feed the country, and we need to encourage young people to think of farming as a career that’s available to them in the future”.
