The first ever Rural Skills Modern Apprentices hosted by the Highland Perthshire Communities Land Trust (HPCLT) picked up their tools at Dùn Coillich Community Land on 3 March 2025.
The first two apprentices, Jamie Lean (17) and Tony Marshall (26) are both graduates of the Dùn Coillich Rural Skills Traineeship which has been running since 2016.
They have now been accepted onto the new Modern Apprenticeship programme developed in partnership with HPCLT, Forestry and Land Scotland, National Trust for Scotland at Ben Lawers, and the Dalchosnie & Kynachan Estate. A truly collaborative effort from organisations who will give Jamie and Tony a great grounding in Rural Skills.
Heather Hamilton, the HPCLT Project Officer stated:
“Our new, year-long apprenticeship is an extension of our own long-running Rural Skills Training Programme, designed to give young people further experience in rural land management skills, including forestry skills, deer management, estate maintenance, livestock care, and visitor engagement.”
“Thanks to this new partnership, our apprentices will benefit from a chance to work with a diverse range ruraof organisations operating across multiple locations in Highland Perthshire, giving them a fantastic opportunity to engage with a wide variety of tasks, earn a wage, and gain an industry recognised qualification in rural skills at the same time.”
A chance for a new career
Backed by Rural Skills Scotland, the new scheme includes an ongoing review from a Scottish Vocational Qualification assessor as well as full support from supervisors across the partner organisations. If they complete the training, Jamie and Tony will walk away with a Modern Apprenticeship in Rural Skills SCQF Level 5 – and hopefully into a new career!
Jamie and Tony’s apprenticeships are part funded by Perth and Kinross Council’s Employment Support Team, through their Futures For All Employer Recruitment Incentive. Launched in August 2024, the programme has allocated a total of £448,000 towards the creation of 64 new job opportunities, including 33 apprenticeships, throughout Perth and Kinross.
A spokesperson for PKC commented, “A core focus of our programme is to ensure long-term job sustainability and roles that emphasise training and growth and we are delighted to join forces with employers like HPCLT who are committed to investing in the growth and development of their employees.”
“We want to say a big thank you for the widespread support we have received from our partners who worked so hard to create this innovative Apprenticeship model” added Heather. “It will give young people an unrivalled opportunity to work with a wide range of organisations across the public, private and charity sectors.”
“We really need to attract new talent to safeguard the future of rural skills, and partnerships such as this demonstrate our united passion for investing in future career paths for aspiring individuals such as Jamie and Tony.”
Bylines Scotland wishes to take this opportunity of wishing Jamie and Tony ‘all the best’ for their groundbreaking venture with Dùn Collich. Rural communities need more investment in young people who wish to live and work in such areas. We look on with interest to see where these two lads go next after they complete their training.
More in council areas.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO OUR CROWDFUNDER
HELP US BECOME STRONGER SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DELIVER POWERFUL CITIZEN JOURNALISM!
