Learning and skills

Over one hundred school pupils enjoyed a potato education day in Perthshire recently.

The event was organised by ADHB and the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) and was hosted by Bruce Farms in Perthshire as part of their Strategic Farm programme managed by AHDB.

Family farming businesses in Aberdeenshire and Orkney can now register for the fourth year of The Prince’s Farm Resilience Programme.

The programme is run by The Prince's Countryside Fund with local partners in 15 locations across the UK. Up to 20 farming families can join the initiative in each location and receive free business skills training.

Almost 2000 pupiles have taken part in a project growing and harvesting their own potatoes.

This year, over 60 classes from across Perth and Kinross took part in the Mr Jazzy Potato Project, which shows the children the gradually unfolding story of the spud and how food and farming are linked.

Top of the crops in the 2019 competition and winning the cup was the P2/3 class from Abernethy Primary School who won the ‘Heaviest Crop of Potatoes’.

The Skills Action Plan for Rural Scotland aims to address skill shortages, talent retention and attraction, and demographic challenges, through enhancing work-based learning and increasing access to education and skills provision.

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing launched the Action Plan, which has been developed by Skills Development Scotland in collaboration with stakeholders. Its priority actions include:

Are you an ambitious farmer, rural business owner, manager or employee involved in running or managing a small to medium-sized business in Scotland? If so, the Rural Leadership Programme could be for you.

Eigg Residential for Women: A Retreat on the Island of Powerful Women

APPLICATION FORM - CLOSING DATE: Mon 3 June, 12 noon

This residential weekend will bring a group of Highland women to the Isle of Eigg to be inspired, stimulated and moved to action. Workshop leaders will help you feel relaxed, creative and confident.

Saturday’s day long workshop will look at significant life events and how they have shaped you as women. You’ll be guided to explore the topic through discussion, writing and art in a relaxed, informal atmosphere where you can experiment freely - the process being more important than an end product.

Gaining Ground event

Do you want to provide opportunities for people to benefit from experiences working with the land and animals?

Join the Gaining Ground project for lunch and networking at Glachbeg Croft.

Providers and support organisations will share their knowledge and experiences, plus a tour of Glachbeg Croft and group discussions.

Funded by Highland LEADER and Moray LEADER, Gaining Ground will run until May 2020 and is aimed at crofters and smallholders in Highland and Moray.

Scottish Land and Estates are now seeking nominations for the 2019 round of the Helping it Happen Awards.

Now into their third year, the awards are looking to build on past success and acknowledge the enormous contribution that rural businesses make to the Scottish economy.

Do you want to join people from across Europe on a course on social innovation in rural areas?

Applications are now being accepted to take part in a one-week Advanced Course on Social Innovation in Rural Areas in Zaragoza, Spain. All participants will be exempt from the payment of registration fees.

Advanced Course on Social Innovation In Rural Areas

Please note: timings to be confirmed with organisers

Social innovation has been heralded as a vital part of the European recovery project since the economic crisis in 2008. It is of particular importance to rural areas, especially more disadvantaged rural areas, where multiple problems of depopulation, environmental quality decline and low levels of economic activity have been recurrent. With the trend of rapid urbanisation, the remoter rural areas will continue to be adversely affected.

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