NATURAL SOLUTIONS
“EVEN IN TIMES OF UNPRECEDENTED BUDGETARY CONSTRAINT, WE CAN STILL GREATLY IMPROVE PEOPLE’S LIVES BY FOCUSING ON CLEAR PRIORITIES AND WORKING WITH PARTNERS TO MAKE THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE POSSIBLE”
JOHN SWINNEY, FIRST MINISTER
If Scotland is to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, reduce harmful emissions and address ongoing inequalities, there is a clear need to change how we work and manage our environment. Although supporting the sector to address our twin nature and climate crises remains a key priority, in light of the ongoing financial restrictions and significant changes to our skills system, the need to do this efficiently, effectively and collaboratively, is more important than ever This is not an easy task, even without budgetary restrictions, and will require careful balancing of competing demands as well as close collaboration between ourselves, government, industry, their representative bodies, agencies land owners, employers and workers
It is the latter in particular that are most critical in terms of achieving our National Outcomes, in that they are the ones best placed to both mitigate and adapt to climate change, for example through the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices or sustainable forest management. They are in the main either working for, or running SMEs or Micro-SMEs, and have limited capacity to diversify or up-scale their operations, or to take time out to retrain. They are often operating within very small margins, in remote and rural areas with limited access to finance and little or no Human Resource function.
Continued support for, and the fa skilling, cross-skilling(1) and re-t required if our key workers are t practice, diversify, and deliver na increased carbon capture throug practices, increase Scotland’s for restore our peatlands.
With levels of unemployment rea clear that we will need to attract and cultural demographic, if the s and achieve net zero by 2045 in way. If the sector is to play its rol poverty, it is important that ther available to schools, colleges and choices, including the different e earnings and employers.
Lantra continues to be fully comm to deliver in this space. This work this, and how we will help our sec climate goals.
1.Cross Skilling refers to the training of employees in multiple job functions and skillsets. This can be to help ensure a more stable work flow in case of absence, or to allow a small business to increase their technological or data capacity by widening the skills base of their employees
SUPPORTING NATIONAL OUTCOMES
Our workplan for 2025-26 is aligned with the objectives of the Programm Government, the National Performance Framework and Sustainable Dev Goals, the Agricultural Policy Objectives and the Biodiversity Strategy. As legislation changes, the requirement for mandatory training also changes, will continue to work with the sector and providers to help ensure suitabl options are available to learners and employees. Specifically, the table be outlines where we believe their aims and objectives overlap with each oth with our work
Priority areas clearly include the adoption and use of sustainable and reg agricultural practices, the production of high-quality food, the facilitation nature restoration, peatland restoration, climate mitigation and adaptatio enabling rural communities to thrive.
National Performance Framework and Sustainable Development Goals(1) Agricultural policy objectives(2) Programme for Government 2024-2025 (3) Biodiversity Strategy (4) Plant Health Strategy(5)
Thriving and innovative businesses, with quality jobs and fair work for everyone - supported by networks and training at which best practice and learning can be shared.
We have a globally competitive, entrepreneurial, inclusive and sustainable economy, with up-skilling and cross-skilling increasing business resiliance
Enabling Rural Communities to thrive, by supporting diversification through increased availability of appropriate training
We value, enjoy, protect and enhance our environment, with students, schools, and employers educated about the sector, and appropriately skilled and able to contribute to society
The production of highquality food, supported by the facilitation of high quality networks and local partnerships
Improving careers support for those already in work, as well as help more people back into work, and address long‑term economic inactivity.
Regenerated biodiversity will drive a sustainable economy and support thriving communitiesthrough a tailored approach to local areas
Tackle the plant health challenge to protect our thriving natural environment, rural economy, outdoor recreational activities and wellbeing, by raising awareness of the sector and supporting its skills needs
Ensure training supports the adoption and use of sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices, promotes and supports practices that protect and improve animal health and welfare, and on-farm nature restoration, climate mitigation and adaptation
Increase the number of women starting and scaling businesses, through targeted CPD, mentoring and networking, helping to reduce child poverty
Making progress on protecting 30% of our land and seas for nature by 2030, ensuring we have people skilled to restore peatland, and expand our woodlands
Support for nature-friendly farming, fishing and forestry provided by increased availability of CPD and knowledge transfer.
Working to actively raise the profile of horticulture career pathways in schools to ensure the next generation of skilled horticulture workers can support plant health targets
Developing the next generation of sector skills, so that by 2045, Scotland will have restored and regenerated biodiversity across our land, freshwater and seas
Work in partnership with Higher and Further Education Officials and Stakeholders to increase green skills and plant health relevant training
WHY LANTRA?
Lantra is the Sector Skills Council for the nature-based sector. We are an independent, UK-wide charity, that exists to help ensure the skills needs of the sector are met Our work in Scotland fully aligns with the priorities of the Scottish Government in areas including education, farming, environment, aquaculture, forestry and conservation We play a critical role in the advancement of the sustainable rural economy through the skills development of its workforce, towards the delivery of a Just Transition to a Green Economy
WORKING TOGETHER
TosupporttheruraleconomyandenhanceScotland’snatural environment,by increasingthenumberanddiversityofskilled employeesinScotland’snature-basedsector
InclosepartnershipwithScottishGovernment,educationpartners, workforcedevelopmentandskillsagencies,tradeorganisations, membershipbodiesandindividualbusinesses
Lantra has over 40 years of experience in helping to address the most critical skills needs of each industry within our sector. We work to enhance the value and accessibility of training, particularly apprenticeships, and work with our education and training providers to support delivery. Whether it be by delivering national training programmes, developing and maintaining our extensive career pages, or just having one-to-one conversations about career paths, our unique expertise and experience helps hundreds of individuals every year to find their path.. field or forest!
There is no other Scottish or UK organisation working across the entirety of the land and nature-based sector. From Agriculture and Aquaculture or Equine and Ecology, each of our industries has different requirements and faces different challenges But by working broadly and openly we help to facilitate the sharing of best practice between our partners and stakeholders This isn’t always straightforward Over 85% of businesses in the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing sector employ less than 5 people yet in both remote and accessible rural areas they are the biggest employer , at 18% and 15% respectively*. In most of our sectors there is no ‘counterweight’ large organisation with time and resources to contribute to policy or skills reviews. Those that do, tend to have a very specific focus,. which is why our role is so important.
Our unrivalled experience and broad-based expertise also helps us to ensure policy and practice pays cognisance to the unique needs of the sectors we work with. And at this time of great changes within the ‘hard wiring’ of the skills system, it is even more important that we continue to play our independent but indispensable role in supporting our development of our sector and insuring its importance and opportunities are recognised.
OUR WORKPLAN
Lantra works in partnership with the Scottish Government’s Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate to deliver a programme that assists in the delivery of Scottish Government Policy. The programme aims to increase prosperity and quality of life in rural areas while improving the learning, knowledge and skills bases of businesses, employers and their employees It is to this end that we submit this workplan
Each year, we deliver an annual plan, with clear aims, objectives and key performance indicators which are reviewed quarterly and signed off at the end of the year by our Stakeholder Group. Without fail, we have delivered on these aims to the satisfaction of the group, even where due to changing priorities or requirements, we have had to deliver against a changed set of objectives. We understand the importance of delivering to target and know that key to the successful delivery of our work in Scotland is the ongoing support of the Scottish Government, both for ourselves as an organisation but also for the sectors we represent. Without this support, much of our work would be lost as there is no other employer or agency that can deliver what we do in the way that we do it.
Our activities are grouped into themes that were, and are, considered by employers to be key in improving the learning, knowledge and skills base of businesses in the rural sector. These remain:
1.Promoting possibilities, opportunities, achievements and success
2.Supporting the development and maintenance of a skilled and diverse workforce
3.Contributing to policy and practice to better meet the needs of the sector
The actions under each theme are reviewed each year to ensure they remain in line with policy, meet the requirements of our industries, and support the work of key stakeholders This helps to ensure we continue to reach out to a wider, more diverse audience and can better lever our work to ensure greater impact for the sector Although our plans continue to include many of our established activities, such as the ALBAS (Awards for Land Based and Aquaculture Skills), VirtRural, our STEM, school activities and careers work, we will increase our focus in key areas such as employability and training development to better meet the needs of our stakeholders. These being:
Employers
Strategic partners
Training providers
Career seekers and changers
Skill developers
Career influencers
Whether it is by increasing careers support, ensuring appropriate training is available for those restoring peatlands and biodiversity, or working to ensure that the recommendations of the Land-Based Learning Review are implemented, we have reviewed our targets to ensure they are appropriate and impactful. We will lead on a new, national approach to skills planning for our sector, working with partners to strengthen regional approaches and increase responsiveness to regional and national skills needs. This will help to ensure that National Adaption Plans are better implemented, by local partnerships tailoring their approach as they develop climate-resilient development plans. At the same time, Lantra will work to increase sector specific training for businesses, that increases resilience and flexibility in an uncertain environment.
Lantraiscommittedtoensuringallouractivitiesdeliverbestvalue.We willdothisbyensuringouractionsandoutcomesare: Specific,Measured,Achievable,Relevant,Time-boundandperhapsmost importantofall,thattheyEncompassRurality
AIMSFOR2025-26
1.Promotingpossibilities,opportunities,achievementsandsuccess
Ouraimisthatthesectorwillberecognisedasapositiveandrewardingcareerchoicetoawiderandmore diverseaudience.Thedifferentroutesintoourindustrieswillbeclearlysignpostedandworkinthissectorwill berecognisedasenjoyable,interesting,rewardingandsecure,supportingtherelatedScottishGovernment's NationalOutcomes.Towardsthisgoal,wewill:
Engage with a wider audience, by researching and reviewing our messaging and working more directly with schools, further and higher education providers, and career changers
Showcase the sector, and those working within it, to more career influencers in order to increase awareness and understanding of career opportunities, utilising and extending our growing network of Industry Champions and STEM Ambassadors as appropriate.
Promote and celebrate the great things happening within the sector and the people that are making this happen
2.Supportingthedevelopmentandmaintenanceofaskilledanddiverseworkforce
It’s great here!
Ouraimunderthisthemeisthatcareerseekers,careerchangers,skilldevelopersandemployersarefullyaware ofthewiderangeoftrainingandlearningopportunitiesavailable.InlinewithNationalOutcomesrelatingtoFair WorkandBusiness,EconomyandPoverty,byincreasingthenumberofprovidersandtrainingavailable,and increasinguptake,ourworkwillhelptosupportthecontinuedgrowthandresilienceofourkeyruralindustries. Underthisthemewewill:
Be great here!
Increase awareness, understanding, delivery and uptake of learning and training provision
Promote opportunities to support and influence skills development
Help to ensure that skills policies, strategies and support reflect the needs of our sector
Improve quality and range of training provision
Increase the number of instructors in priority areas through tasters and wider promotion
National Skills Planning meeting held to help identify needs and opportunities by sector
Provide training to mentors to help them better support new entrants and trainees
3.Contributingtopolicyandpracticetobettermeettheneedsofthesector
Underthemethree,andinlinewithNationalOutcomesrelatingtoEnvironment,FairWorkandBusinessand Education,ouraimisthatresearchinformedpolicyandpracticewillensurethattheskillsgapswithinoursector aremet.Bydoingso,wewillensuretheworkforceresponsiblefortheprotectionandenhancementofour naturalenvironmentisbestenabledtoachieveScotland'snetzeroandbiodiversitygoals,andthatemployers understandthedifferentwaystodiversifytheirworkforce.Atthesametime,theirdevelopmentwillhelpto sustainourcommunities,providingfufillingemploymentandsupportingemployers.Underthisthemewewill:
Share the findings of our research to inform a decision on adopting the term “naturebased” and provide advice to ministers
Help to ensure the 16+ Data Hub captures the wide range of job roles undertaken across the Sector to allow for effective monitoring and impact
Increase investment in, and uptake of, learning, skills development and training
Support more employers and employees to champion skills and career opportunities
Work more closely with employability partners to support effective transition programmes
Support our industries during their just transition to a green economy
Lets make it even greater here.
KEY ACTIVITIES FOR 2025-26
THEME 1: PROMOTING POSSIBILITIES, OPPORTUNITIES, ACHIEVEMENTS AND SUCCESS
Over the coming year, the level of change occurring within both the sector and the skills system will be significant. The delivery of the implementation plan for the Commission for the Land-Based Learning Review will commence, and changes associated with the wider reforms of the education and skills system will begin. At the same time, many of the challenges we face remain the same. It is not easy to recruit in remote and rural areas, and whilst there continues to be few opportunities to learn outdoors within the curriculum, it is unlikely that those leaving school will have considered land-based or nature-based careers.
However, with changes in curriculum comes the opportunity to capture the attention of those looking for support. Initiatives such as Powering Futures, SolarPunk Island, SeaStory and Forestopia are already helping school pupils from across Scotland to connect with and investigate our natural resources We will continue to help teachers and learners to connect with resources, organisations and expertise from within the sector, to ensure currency of the delivery and to further widen their reach We will research perceptions of careers whilst at the same time helping to promote them. Through this work, we will build the appeal of roles within our sector, to a wider audience over a larger geographical area.
We will work with programmes such as Hill to Grill, to support the next steps for those ‘sold’ on a career in Gamekeeping, and will work with others to develop and deliver training to other gamekeepers/wildlife managers/forest rangers on how to support delivery. This will mean a bigger pool of trained and enthusiastic supporters which will support expansion of the programme, as well as events to connect would be apprentices with potential employers. In addition, we will run workshops with Aquaculture stakeholders to help them better communicate the opportunities within the sector to their local communities.
We will increase the level of support we can offer at the increasing number of face-to-face career events, as well as delivering VirtRural again in its highly successful online format. We will make sure that we have a 'place' at career events across the country, supported by our growing network of trained Industry Champions, as well as employers and employees happy to champion skills and career opportunities.
We will build on the findings of the perception analysis undertaken through the Skills for Farming “Be a Farmer” project, and deliver another of these successful events, this time at SRUC Oatridge. This will be extended to include a day specifically aimed at introducing DYW advisors and key career influencers to those working in the sector and giving them hands-on experience of the skills required In the coming year, we will also add to the support available to them, by rolling out our new support pack for P7-S1 pupils and developing a new competition for schools.
And of course, we will celebrate, delivering the ALBAS 2026, using them to recognising the best of the best within our sector and recruiting our next generation of Industry Champions.
KEY ACTIVITIES FOR 2025-26
THEME 2: SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF A SKILLED AND DIVERSE WORKFORCE
Lantra has always worked to identify skills needs and gaps and ensure that skills policies and provision help to meet sector needs. However, in the coming year, the landscape in which we will be doing so will change, as will the scope and remit of many of our key partner organisations. Throughout, Lantra will continue to support and lead key skills groups, committees and working groups, to ensure responsiveness to new developments and challenges as they arise. We will bring together key stakeholders to help identify skills needs and opportunities by sector in line with the recommendations of the Land-Based Learning Review.
We will continue our flexible outlook, whilst working to deliver the agreed aims and objectives of each of the groups we support Our ‘conversations with industry’ and support for our skills groups will continue to be integral to the successful delivery and evolution of our work plan, helping to ensure that we meet the changing skills needs of the sector
We will work to ensure that the development of new provision in relation to CPD and training within this area is informed and led by industry, with the direct involvement of key employers, employees and regulatory bodies. We will do this in a wide range of areas, including those involved in Dairy, Sheep and Aquaculture. We will use the learning gained through our Skills Hub to help guide this process and to ensure effective delivery, reaching out to potential new providers and helping increase the number and range of courses available to new entrants and learners within the sector, by an increased number of instructors. To this end, we will work to address the gaps in instructor provision, particularly within Arboriculture and Forestry.
At the same time we will work to increase awareness and understanding of the business benefits of investing in learning, skills development and training through awareness-raising events and by working in partnership with key agencies and training providers. We will review and extend mentor training to include more farmers but also forestry employers We will work to increase the uptake of the Land- Based Pre-Apprenticeship and extend the model to other sectors which would benefit from the delivery model.
As part of our work to promote opportunities to support and influence skills development we will work to increase our understanding of the LMI and skills requirements of Scotland’s Landscaping, Dairy and Sheep businesses, working with Lantra at the national level, but also having local conversations to make sure the nuances of requirements are captured. We will bring our unique industry expertise and understanding to ensure the development of any new courses or programmes associated with the sector meet the needs of industry.
KEY ACTIVITIES FOR 2025-26
THEME 3: CONTRIBUTING TO POLICY AND PRACTICE TO BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF THE SECTOR
A key aim of our work under this theme is to support investment in learning, skills development and training to improve business performance. This should be evidence led, and we will continue to add to the body of research and KPIs and provide a hub through which it can be shared with the sector We will use our new data hub to support these groups and work to increase the information to which they have access.
There is also work to be done to help employers within the sector to offer Fair Work, and to ensure learning from the research we commissioned in 2024-25 is used to improve the experience of those working in the sector. We will bring our findings to those best placed to bring about the changes, including at conferences, to the ILGs and to the appropriate Skills Groups. We will also work to ensure the recommendations of our research relating to maternity leave and flexible working is effectively disseminated to the sector and to those that can bring about change.
Our work with WiSA will continue, and we will ensure our learning from working with this group will inform actions to attract more women into nature-based sectors where there is a gender imbalance, and to extend this work to other areas of imbalance.
Under theme 3 we will also work to support more employers and employees to champion skills and career opportunities, whether it be by offering work experience or mentoring a new entrant. We will work more closely with employability partners to support effective transition programmes, ensuring pathways to employment include the most appropriate training options And of course we will continue to offer work experience ourselves, and to offer mentoring both internally and externally to Lantra.
We will continue our work to support Young Farmers and the Young Aquaculture Society to reach a wider audience We will help YAS to reach more new entrants working ‘ on the shop floor’ and will work with the SAYFC to help them to increase access to skills and training opportunities among their members.
We will support implementation of the recommendations of the Commission for the Land-Based Learning Review, by undertaking research and engagement to inform a decision on adopting the term “nature-based” and provide advice to ministers and help to ensure the 16+ Data Hub captures the wide range of job roles
THE SCOTLAND TEAM AND OUR NATIONAL SUPPORT
Lantra benefits from direct support from the National chairs (both for Scotland and UK) at a governance level, and from senior management and specialist colleagues operating UK-wide. Examples include financial management, human resources, information technology, executive team guidance, standards and qualifications expertise, quality and risk management, and partnership working with colleagues in Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland and England.
Lantra Scotland supports associated operational costs through corporate overhead payments and, where appropriate, by attributing specific staff tasks and time to the Scotland work plan.
The following are the staff who deliver the Scottish Government workplan, including their Full Time Equivalent (FTE)
Scotland Director
Liz Barron-Majerik 1 FTE
Industry Partnership Manager
Niall Evans 1 FTE
FBAASS & Events Co-Ordinator
Lorna Teague 0.8 FTE
Finance & Admin Assistant
Karolina Samerek 1.0 FTE
Finance Assistant (Scotland)
Diana Gavrilita 0 5 FTE
Management Assistant
Kelli Kirk 0.8 FTE
Marketing Co-Ordinator
Jim Ewing 1.0 FTE
Careers & Education Officer
Alba Wilkinson 1 0 FTE
Marketing Intern
Saarah Jamal 0.4 FTE
Sustainability Co-Ordinator
Emily Dewar 0.6 FTE (Maternity Leave)
