Moray students get a taste of life on the farm and in the forest at DYW Moray event
More than 60 third-year pupils from Moray got hands-on experience of possible careers working on the land when they leave school.
This event at Dipple Farm near Fochabers gave them the opportunity to talk to 14 local employers and ask questions about what their businesses do.
James Jones & sons provided a forestry simulator to show students how to use various machinery. Meanwhile Mathesons Farm presented their animals such as cattle, sheep and piglets, to show how they manage health checks and vaccinations.
Emma Winchester, from Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) which organised the event, said: “Iain Brown of Dipple Farm did a fantastic job setting up the barns safely for the pupils to attend and participate in a range of workshops.
“Thank you also to Stagecoach for transporting the pupils to the event – this was a massive cost saving. The exceptional effort from the employers who hosted workshops was second to none.
“The pupils were buzzing throughout the day, and this was lovely to see. Many were really inspired by the array of opportunities in the land-based sector on their doorstep.”
Alison Johnston, a project manager with the Royal Northern Country Initiative, added: “The importance cannot be underestimated of getting pupils out of school to highlight the huge range of careers within the rural landscape.
“The workshops gave invaluable opportunities to really explore the different pathways and careers available. The RNCI were delighted to be involved with this very successful day and hope it becomes an annual event.”
Neil Petrie, the senior site manager at James Jones & Sons. thanked the people who helped with and supported the forestry demonstrations - Forres Tree Services, Colin Thompson Harvesting, John Deere for the simulator and Forest and Land Scotland.
“It was a fantastic day,” he said, “hopefully it will inspire and inform both young learners and support staff about what we do.”
