RECRUITING FOR THE FUTURE
A REPORT ON THE CONCLUSIONS OF A SERIES OF SKILLS SUMMITS, HELD ACROSS SCOTLAND IN
2019-20
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“We need to do things differently.”
RECRUITING FOR THE FUTURE
Summary Report and Actions, 2019-20
We will do this by:
Executive Summary
• Finding a more positive message that all industries can ‘get behind’ and scoping a potential joint film or video to help get this message across.
Between December 2019 and January 2020, Lantra held three Skills Summits for key representatives from Scotland’s land and sea industries. Those attending included company leads, training providers, small rural businesses, HR managers, new entrants, educators, DYW leads and others. The aim of each Summit was to support the sector in addressing its skills challenges, and at each meeting, the challenges and opportunities relating to recruitment and skills in the sector were profiled and discussed. Despite the diverse attendance and locations, the opinions expressed by those attending were similar in each location. Although the industries within the land and sea sector vary in terms of what they might describe as the ‘most pressing need’, and in the approaches they have taken to these challenges, it is clear that in every region there are employers who are struggling to find the right skills for their business. To this end, Lantra will continue to work with partners to find solutions to these challenges.
• Working with partners to identify the best way forward for our message, and to test it with at least two different demographics and in consultation with partners. • Aligning promotion of some land and sea industries more closely to the STEM subjects. • Further investigating what our young people are looking for in a career and how the land and sea sectors might meet this need. • Working to support the creation of more resources that help learning outside the classroom. • Working with others to establish if there is a better way to share best practice • Reviewing Foundation Apprenticeships, and how businesses in land and sea sector might contribute. • Working with SDS and others to review apprenticeship frameworks associated with our sector to identify where we might be able to improve aspects of delivery. • Reviewing the skills groups that we support and identify gaps in which we might most usefully co-ordinate some additional support.
Where appropriate, some of these actions have already been embedded in the Lantra Scotland workplan for 2020-21 or will be implemented in the medium to longer-term. Others, which may lie outside the scope of our work, are being shared with appropriate stakeholders.
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“Kids are being encouraged to go to uni and get a ‘good job in the city’, but the reality is often a boring and quite meaningless office job, having to endure an awful commute compare this to the daily diversity of tasks in the rural sector.” (Summit participant, Perth)
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Snapshot: What is unique about the opportunities in the land and sea sector? At all sessions, Mentimeter was used to gather participants’ views on the unique or distinct opportunities available in land and sea-based careers; the responses below come from the Perth session in January 2020.
Other responses that came up in Ayrshire and Inverness included: a sense of community, there being ‘something for everyone’, a ‘guaranteed future,’ and the opportunity to be at the forefront of tackling climate change.
“No two days are the same”
“Connected to the landscape” “Working with “Hugely important people who are passionate about the industry” “It is the heart and soul of Scotland”
“A hands-on career that soothes the soul and shapes the future“
“The last great sustainable wilderness - the sea”
to Scotland’s economy” “Opportunities for all to carve out an exciting and diverse career“
“Rewarding career in the great outdoors”
“Working with nature”
“Lots of transferable skills” “Good for mental health, healthy environment, family atmosphere”
“Variety of opportunities available” “New view from “the office” everyday”
Discussions and themes
Lantra works with a wide range of land based and aquaculture industry groups and other stakeholders, who are all pursuing a common aim – to raise the number, standard and diversity of new entrants to their sector and to upskill their existing workforce.
“We should be thinking about what young people want, rather than what we want to show them.” (Summit participant, Inverness)
We have seen ‘parallel solutions’ evolve to meet some key skills challenges, with individuals putting in a great deal of effort to address a skills issue, unaware that such work has already been done (or is being developed) elsewhere. One reason for this is that key individuals have little opportunity to interact, due to separation by geography or sector. Lantra therefore held three “Skills Summits” for representatives from Scotland’s land and sea sectors. We tried to involve all the key people who we thought would be key to shaping the future direction of some of Scotland’s most important careers. The Summits were held in December 2019 and January 2020, in Ayrshire, Inverness and Perth. Each was designed to showcase some of the innovative skills and recruitment solutions out there, and to draw out potential joint solutions to the challenges faced in recruitment, retention and skills development. (More details in Appendix 1.)
Each Summit involved a mix of presentations and round-table discussions, which enabled a wide range of opinions and proposals to be voiced. These highlighted not only the diversity of views and experiences across sectors and regions, but the shared appetite to address challenges. Feedback from the round-table discussions was recorded by members of the Lantra team, and then merged and ‘themed’ to reflect the holistic narrative of the sessions and develop key actions. These themes are summarised below, as are the questions arising from them.
To brand or not to brand There was some feeling at all three summits that proactive promotion and recruitment under one brand would be expensive and could see some career opportunities being ‘lost’, particularly when career influencers may have limited involvement with the sector. There was also a concern that industries that have larger companies with HR and training managers could end up with a louder voice in the creation and use of such a brand. There was a counter view, however, that smaller sectors might benefit from investment in promotion by the larger ‘players’.
1.
These groups’ work has evolved with the changing needs of their industries and partners, leading to the development of national skills policies, strategies and industry requirements. The Scotland Food and Drink Skills Investment Plan, the Skills Action Plan for Rural Scotland, the Scottish Forest and Timber Technologies (SFTT) Skills Action Plan and the Aquaculture Skills Action Plan are important examples.
2. A fuller report of the round-table feedback is available in our full report: Lantra Report on the 2019-20 ‘Recruiting for the Future’ Rural Skills Regional Round Tables: Notes and Actions.[a link would add value when available]
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Context
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The message
Learning from others
It was agreed that any collective message had to be ‘upbeat’ and ‘aspirational’, helping us to compete with the perception that land-based is only for the less academically able. Participants felt we needed to show more positives; there was praise for Prince’s Foundation working with Joe Suggs (ex-thatcher) and Lantra with the Jim Smith videos.
It was suggested by some participants that land-based could align to better defined and perceived careers such as engineering (eg, by taking stands at engineering recruitment fairs). It was felt that this would be relatively easy to do in areas such as forestry machine operations, aquaculture and agricultural land-based engineering. Some suggested that increasing the awareness of STEM skills used in the sector (such as hydroponics, precision farming) would increase the number of young people considering it as a career option.
There seemed to be near-universal acceptance that “Land-Based” and “Rural Skills” were outdated and had some negative connotations (eg, cold, poor pay); nor did traditional messaging reflect skills such as communications, data, science and technology. On the other hand, messaging around the use of technology and maximising return would promote roles that might not be available in some other aspects of agriculture such as tourism and crofting. There was also a plea to show the countryside as open for business, rather than needing to be preserved. SRUC’s ‘The Revolution is Rural’ advert was given as a positive example of preconceptions being challenged. visit: bit.ly/sruc-ad Examples of new messaging suggested at the sessions is given in Appendix 2.
Follow-on questions, and who should address them • How would our key audiences react to suggested messaging? • Can we increase activities linking land and sea to STEM? • How do we promote the land and sea sectors as modern and technology-driven, without detriment to the more traditional, heritage and craft roles?
Attendees also suggested that we could learn from the example of the Army recruitment adverts, in showcasing the diversity of roles and people performing them.
The importance of not trying to second guess what the next generation thinks was emphasised along with the importance of testing any new campaign with a range of audiences. The need for different materials for different demographics was also mentioned. There was also a request to promote the careers of individuals, more than careers within an industry. A range of positive connection points were suggested, including • Being a sector where entrants can proactively help to address climate change • A career offering adventure, exercise, wellbeing and work/life balance • The opportunity to connect with the landscape and nature, At one session, it was pointed out that people in the industry often talked about being part of a community/family, but this is not promoted in careers materials. This would help to counter perceptions that these jobs can be isolated. Many mentioned that skills in the sector are often transferable, and that individuals can ‘cross over’ from one sector to another (eg forestry and farming). Rather than always focusing on what defines the skills needed within one industry, it might be useful to emphasise what they have in common.
Follow-on questions • Can we better establish what young people want from a career, and how the Land and Sea sectors meet this need? • Can messaging around communities be extended beyond rural? • What emotions does the sector evoke in our key audiences? How do we best make this emotional connection? • Ensure that we are creating case studies that describe the journey of individuals within the sector • What should a collective video include in order to best communicate the diversity of the sector?
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Finding a connection and communicating the message
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Working with schools
Placements and work experience
Attendees thought that teachers’ understanding and awareness of the opportunities in the sector needs to be improved. Many had found that if the school has a teacher “champion” (often either Geography or in Additional Support), that school tends to better promote rural/land-based career opportunities, but if that teacher moves, it all falls apart. Primary schools have opportunities to connect through Royal Highland Educational Trust, but at secondary level it all depends on the background or knowledge of the teacher charged with ‘outdoor learning’.
The benefits of working with partners to identify opportunities for placements, work experience, guest lectures etc was highlighted, with a recommendation to speak to former students. The many positive alternative destinations found for individuals ‘at risk’ of being lost from the system were also mentioned, often found through direct connections between the school and the sector. Such connections helped the individuals to find focus and a future career.
At each Summit, participants wanted urban schools included within the promotion, at both primary and secondary level. There was a feeling that children living in rural areas were already ‘connected to the message’, and that we needed a simple message that would appeal to ‘urban kids’. All spoke of the need to do more with schools and stressed the importance of engaging with the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) groups. The Dumfries and Galloway Employability Award (now entitled Workbased Skills Award) was highlighted as an effective way to manage and support work placements.
However, challenges were discussed around some of the logistics involved in taking on volunteers, such as providing accommodation, and finding the time to get into schools to discuss opportunities. Others described the ‘hoops’ the industry had to jump through to offer work experience opportunities in the first place, with experiences seeming to vary by local authority. The support provided by employers for work experience and placements was also seen as ‘variable’, with employers also needing to accept that a candidate may not have a land-based background and may not be able to ‘hit the ground running’.
“We need non-farming new entrants who challenge why we do things the way we do.”
It was suggested that perhaps all school qualifications (and especially maths and geography), should include sustainability as a core component, with a requirement for taking some learning out of doors. Whilst this was supported, it was felt to be ‘some way off’ in terms of teacher confidence. There was backing, however, for increased support materials for teachers.
(Summit participant, Perth)
3. The Growing Rural Talent posts jointly promoting Forestry and Farming placements were mentioned as an example of this.
Follow-on questions • Is there a way to increase the range and scope of the D&G Employability Award? • Can more support materials be developed to take more core learning out of the classroom and to influence what the ‘normal’ school timetable or day might look like?
Follow-on questions • Is there a way to better support local authorities to access best practice in risk assessments for work placements? (SDS, Lantra)
The lack of a cohesive voice emphasising the opportunities available within the sector was mentioned, as were the challenges around knowing ‘who to call’, particularly when considering taking on an apprentice. It was felt that engaging with young people needs to be more joined up in the sector as resources can be difficult to find and co-ordinate, with a need to help employers to understand the options available to them (and associated responsibilities). An example of overcoming this was the ‘Employers’ Toolkit’ created in partnership between Skills for Farming, SDS and Lantra.
Gaps in provision “We need a network of talent scouts!” There was agreement that any new qualifications would need buy-in from employers, but that there seemed to be a need to improve business and self employment skills as well as practical skills. The latter were felt to be very hard to ‘level’, as they are not taught at school. High-level technical skills are not always captured on an SCQF framework. Foundation Apprenticeships were thought to have potential value. The suggestion of a ‘Rural Skills’ Foundation Apprenticeship did not win significant support, as the technical skills development would be specialist and better developed at college or in an apprenticeship programme. Some of the existing Foundation Apprenticeships (eg engineering and business) were felt to have potential overlap with the sector and could be worth exploring further.
Follow-on questions • Are there further opportunities for ‘branded’ apprenticeships? • Could an existing Foundation Apprenticeship meet the skills needs of the land and sea sector • Can more suggestions on models of delivery be included within apprenticeship frameworks?
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Where to go and how to proceed
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The challenges of working with others “In partnerships it is important that everyone understands each other’s needs. You have to be honest, and receptive to where you or the group are going wrong.” The benefits of working together in terms of contributing to business sustainability were strongly emphasised at each summit, particularly in reference to improved awareness of partner activities, and associated integration between education/skills and business interests. However, finding the time to meet and share ideas was identified as a challenge, as was the need for ‘someone’ to lead and drive forward actions. Partners committing to the partnership right at the start was described as critical, as was the need for clearly defined roles and outcomes.
Follow-on questions • Is there a way to extend our support for Skills Groups to other sectors?
Conclusions and recommendations The delivery of three summits in different locations was useful in terms of increased number of speakers, the diversity of interests represented and overall attendance. However, at each summit, similar topics and opinions were expressed. Although the industries within the land and sea sector seem to vary in terms of their ‘most pressing need’, and also in the approaches they have taken to meet these challenges, it is clear that in every region there are employers struggling to find the right skills for their business. To this end, Lantra will continue to work with partners to find solutions to these challenges.
Although there does not seem to be strong support for a land-based ‘brand’, there does seem to be a shared appetite for a more positive message that all industries can ‘get behind’. There is support for a collective approach to this, with the potential for a joint film or video to communicate this message. To this end, Lantra will use the feedback from this report and work with an external organisation to identify the best way forward for that messaging, and to test it with at least two different demographics and in consultation with partners.
There was encouragement at each summit to more closely align ourselves to the STEM subjects. Lantra will take this forward, working with the Scottish Schools Education Research Centre. At the same time, we will endeavour to maintain a balance between promoting the sector as ‘high-tech’, protecting our important heritage, and highlighting the importance of people skills and customer care.
It was also clear that we need to further investigate what our young people are looking for in a career and how the land and sea sectors might meet this need. We will work with external experts to clarify how we might best make an emotional connection with that audience.
Within schools, the more pupils are out of the classroom, the more likely they are to consider choosing a career that also involves the great outdoors. Lantra will work with SFC and Education Scotland to determine where the gaps might be most significant and where we can most usefully develop materials and support innovative delivery.
Placements and work experience are important in helping new entrants to know if the sector is right for them (and if they are right for the employer!) but can be hard to establish. Lantra will work with others to establish if there is a better way to share best practice between local authorities, and those involved in programmes such as the land-based pre-apprenticeship, to share learning and experience. This will also link to a review of the existing Foundation Apprenticeships, and how businesses in land-based might most effectively contribute.
When our new entrants and young people are being trained, there is a wide range of approaches that can be taken by providers, but not all providers and employers are aware of the options. Lantra will work with SDS and others to look at the frameworks associated with our sector to determine whether there is a better way to ‘showcase’ options, and also to determine whether there are other opportunities for ‘branded’ modern apprenticeships.
Lantra will also review the skills groups that we support and identify gaps in which we might most usefully co-ordinate some support. To reiterate one of the strongest messages from each meeting – working together is key.
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Snapshot: What will you do next? Here are some of things that participants in the summits told us they were going to do next:
“Look to take on more people with disabilities” “Visit more schools”
“Look at how to attract younger people into our workplace and join with other organisations to work at doing this together”
“Engage with the local school DYW officer”
“Work in partnership with the wider sector to promote career pathways” “Try to make recruitment material more accessible for young people”
“Make more connections”
“Keep promoting the land-based industry”
“Continue to champion opportunities”
“Follow up contacts made today”
“Explore the production of short videos to showcase our work” “Make sure I’m fully up to speed with what’s available on Lantra’s website”
“Speak to my SVQ students to see what they think”
“Share our stories of success through social media”
“Learn more acronyms” “Think harder and look at the big picture” “Help to change people’s perceptions” “Ask more about what young employees want from a career/life balance”
Lantra’s three Skills Summits were held in Cumnock, Ayrshire (10 December 2019), Inverness (12 December 2019) and Perth (23 January 2020). In total, 86 people took part.
Event structure In each of the three summits, after a short scene setting from Lantra, a keynote speaker presented on how we might better brand the opportunities within the sector. This was followed by a session on building effective partnerships, and round-table discussions where participants either discussed where working in partnership was key to overcoming a specific skills challenge, or whether they thought there was value in adopting a single brand for the land-based and aquaculture industries. In the afternoon, the speakers talked about some of the available recruitment support, and heard the personal stories of new entrants and employers. The roundtable discussions in Ayrshire and Inverness focused on how the landbased and aquaculture sector might make itself more attractive in order to recruit and retain a diverse and skilled workforce. In Perth, where there were more attendees, an additional question was included regarding what potential gaps in training or educational provision might be preventing potential new entrants from progressing into the sector.
Presenters and speakers Each event had a keynote speaker with relevant expertise in branding and promotion:
James Withers, Chief Executive, Scotland Food and Drink
Marion MacCormick, former Scottish Government Agriculture Champion Ken Grier, founder of De-Still Creative and former Creative Director of The Macallan
Other speakers at the events brought wide experience in, e.g., working with young people and people with disabilities and learning needs, STEM engagement, farming and horticulture education, environmental conservation, farming, land management, community development, supporting the third sector and managing apprenticeship programmes. A number of speakers were previous winners of Lantra Learner of the Year awards. Liz Barron-Majerik, Lantra Scotland Arianne Knowles, The Prince’s Foundation David Houston, Department of Work and Pensions Dougie Bowie, Billy Bowie Special Projects Scott Mason, Stirling Council Louise Main, Crochmore Farms Ltd Tracey McEwan, Tarff Valley Ltd Amanda Bryan, Scottish School of Forestry Faye Armitstead, Department of Work and Pensions Shona Street, Ross-shire Voluntary Action Megan Rowland, Practical Land Management Ltd Isla Campbell, Scottish Woodlands Ltd Melanie McEwen, Dumfries & Galloway Council Judith Alexander, Department of Work and Pensions Jed Gardner, Glenalmond Timber Company Luke Taylor, HES Sam Parsons, Balcaskie
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Appendix 1: Format of the three Skills Summits
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Appendix 2: Suggestions for messaging Participants at all three summits came up with their own suggestions for new collective messaging. It was agreed that finding a suitable term was challenging, and that it would be hard to encompass every aspect within the one term. But a number of possible examples were given:
“Fresh air futures” (Ayrshire)
“Your countryside needs you!” (Inverness) “Act local, think global” (Inverness) “Contract with nature” (Inverness)
“Contract for climate” (Inverness) “A day in the life of ...” (Inverness) “Life changing” (Inverness)
“Rural management” (Perth)
“Working local –acting global” (Inverness) “Engine of the rural economy” (Perth) “#HeroesWanted” (Perth)
“#BeMore” “#BeMoreSkilled” “#BeMore” (Perth) “You’re welcome!” (Perth) “Escape” (Perth)
“10 reasons why you shouldn’t work in the country” (Perth)
READY FOR THE CHALLENGE? RECRUITING FOR THE FUTURE - SKILLS SUMMIT REPORT - 2019-20