Rural Community Gateway

What's your project?

Skills for Work – Rural Skills Course (Intermediate 1 qualification) 2 year course.

S3 (third year) pupils learn how to carry out various estate maintenance tasks in a practical, hands-on way, study several land based industries and investigate jobs, qualifications and prospects in the land based sector within their own rural area. There is also an element of employability skills where they also look at risk assessment, health and safety and personal responsibility for how they carry out tasks in a real work setting.

In S4 (fourth year) they can opt for either a farming element (animal husbandry and handling) or crop production (in our case we have gone for forestry) and soft landscaping.

Where is it?

Balfron High School and surrounding rural area.

Who's involved?

Balfron High, Forestry Commission (Aberfoyle), Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, "Cashel Forest for a Thousand Years”, local farmer Daye Tucker (Carbeth Home Farm by Killearn Stirlingshire), Scottish Natural Heritage, Oatridge College, Careers Scotland, Stirling Council, John Coyle (Trees Company). There are others who have agreed to support the pupils as and when required.

We also have had a lot of help and advice from LANTRA (Perth).

We have actually formed a rural partnership known as SPIRE (Strathendrick Partnership in Rural Education) where all partners have agreed to support the pupils by offering them opportunities to learn new rural skills such as fencing, tree/hedge planting, field drains and pathwork in third year and then animal handling/husbandry and soft landscaping/ forestry in fourth year.

How is it funded?

At present it is funded by Scottish Executive initiative "Determined to Succeed" (DTS) which funds school work which involves local businesses, employers and schools. Contact Bob McGowan, Stirling Council, for more details as he manages all DTS projects for the Council.

We also received a grant for tools and equipment from Scottish Natural Heritage as a lot of the tasks include conservation work.

When is it funded to?

2008. This is my biggest concern. This has been a fantastic initiative from Scottish Executive but it cannot run without schools having additional funding and I am really worried about what will happen to future pupils if additional funding runs out.

It is the only course where pupils are out of doors in all weathers, doing physical work and breathing in fresh air.

This is about sustainable rural communities. Offering our young people the chance to experience rural skills and hopefully inspiring them to progress to further training once they leave school.

Our young people are the future of our rural areas because without them living and working in rural communities, we are in danger of becoming dormitories  where only the rich can live and a playground for those who choose to holiday here.

Biggest achievement so far?

Planting over 1100 Scots Pines near Aberfoyle with our Forestry Commission partner Peter Mitchell.

Any downsides so far?

Worrying about the future of this fantastic, worthwhile course.

Frustrations of being held back in a school/financial setting as this could be even better if I had the freedom and the time to develop it even more. To give young people the best of experiences in their own rural area and really open their eyes to what is around them.

Any advice needed from Rural Gateway users?

Suggestions on how I secure this course financially for the future.

Further Information

Detailed course content – Scottish Qualifications Authority (Glasgow)

Info on SPIRE and how the course operates at Balfron:
Dianne Smith – Balfron High
Email: Smithd01s@stirling.gov.uk
Tel: 01360 440469
If there is a wealthy sponsor out there who can also see the potential for our young people and our rural communities . . . please contact me !!!

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