News
LandSkills North East is addressing a critical need to attract new entrants into forestry over the next decade, as it supports a number of initiatives to develop the next generation of foresters in North East England.
LandSkills North East is managed by Lantra on behalf of the Regional Development Agency, One North East. LandSkills have awarded Northwoods 80% funding under the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), to run a Week in the Woods Week event in January 2010.
Aimed to raise awareness of the forestry industry as a potential career path and to signpost those interested in a career to the next step, Work in the Woods Week includes activities such as operating a £250,000 timber harvesting machine, a visit to one of England’s largest timber processing factories and workshops on understanding the importance of sustainable, multipurpose forestry.
Forestry has seen a massive downturn in new candidates wanting and willing to make it a lifetime career. It is a UK wide issue that was highlighted earlier this year when Lantra, the Sector Skills Council, latest research identified that 60,000 new entrants are needed over the next decade.
LandSkills North East Project Manager, Peter Nailon, said: “Lantra’s Skills Assessment research emphasised the need to draw new faces into the industry. Encouraging new entrants to develop a career in forestry is vital if we are to keep the industry alive and we are pleased that LandSkills North East is already addressing this issue by supporting a number of new projects in the region.”
Kirsten Young, RDPE Senior Specialist at One North East said ‘Work in the Woods Week is part of a package of measures to attract new entrants into forestry. This project aims to initially encourage new entrants into forestry and then provide opportunities for these individuals to receive wider skills development. This will help to ensure that the forestry sector has the skills it needs for the future.”
Will Richardson at Northwoods said: “Events such as Work in the Woods Week provides the forestry industry with a platform to highlight all the different aspects that are involved in a career in this area. We are hoping to receive support through Landskills North East to run the ForStart: North East programme, which would be a one year pilot project offering support to forestry businesses in the region to create six new jobs in the industry. A successful Work in the Woods Week would give potential employers the chance to meet new entrants in a forestry environment and maybe even see potential employees at work that could be recruited through the ForStart programme.”
Peter Nailon continued: “The LandSkills programme has been received really positively from foresters, landowners and young people in the North East. But we are also aware of some of the concerns about the rapid decline in the number of candidates to train in the region. A number of new entrant projects and events such as Work in the Woods Week are being run in direct response to this feedback as they will provide an opportunity for those who have a real desire to work in the industry to get hands on experience and find out what the industry involves.”
Work in the Woods Week will take place in January 2010 at Chopwell Woods near Gateshead and is open to young people wishing to develop a career in forestry and to those with no industry background, but who are interested in a new career.
For more information visit www.lantra.co.uk/LandSkillsNorthEast/NewEntrants or call 0845 2788 800.
ENDS
Issued by: Lantra Press Office, Vicky Brewin – contact england.media@lantra.co.uk or call 02476 858 417.
« Back to list