Lantra
About Lantra
Lantra is the Sector Skills Council for the environmental and land-based industries, licensed by the UK Government as one of 25 Sector Skills Councils.
Its role is to identify and tackle skills gaps across the whole of the United Kingdom for the following industries: land-management and production, animal health and welfare, and environmental industries.
Lantra helps individuals working in the sector to have the right skills and knowledge to carry out their jobs safely and effectively and for businesses to have a workforce that can enhance productivity and performance.
Download details of who's who at Lantra
Funding for skills
Rural Development Programme for England
The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) is a funding scheme for land-based businesses (farmers, growers, foresters, and primary processors), rural tourism organisations and other small rural businesses. All RDPE funds are controlled by your Regional Development Agency and they used research information to decide on the funding priorities for their own regions.
The RPDE aims to safeguard and enhance our countryside, to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of our rural businesses, and help communities to thrive. The programme which runs until 2013, is funded jointly by the EU through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the UK Government.
The RDPE will be delivered through a number of activities including Small Capital Grant Schemes, Strategic Investment Grants and Action Plans.
The Skills part of the RDPE funding is managed for six of the nine English regions by Lantra called LandSkills.
Visit our funding page to find out further information about RDPE funding available in your region.
The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) is a funding scheme for land-based businesses (farmers, growers, foresters, and primary processors), rural tourism organisations and other small rural businesses.The RPDE aims to safeguard and enhance our countryside, to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of our rural businesses, and help communities to thrive.
LandSkills is part of the Rural Development Programme for England and is managed or co-ordinated by Lantra on behalf of the Regional Development Agencies in the North East, Yorkshire and Humber, South East, East of England, East Midlands and West Midlands.
The LandSkills projects can fund skills development, knowledge transfer and training. A sample of possible activities is listed here:
- Seminars
- Business clubs
- Workshops and farm demonstrations
- Support and mentoring
- Technical and management information
Examples of the YFC training that could be developed from these activities is:
- Practical and technical livestock, crop and non-food crop husbandry
- Management and business, including collaboration
- Animal health and welfare
- Study tours
- Food chain and retailing (eg farm shops)
If you are interesting in taking part in training supported by LandSkills or have an idea for a training course, please speak to your region's programme manager on the contacts map.
Women and Work
The Women and Work programme offers funding towards training to help women throughout England progress within jobs in the environmental and land-based industries, where women are significantly under-represented.
It is widely recognised that very few women work in the eligible industries so by supporting 600 women to advance their careers, the Women and Work programme aims to improve the gender balance.
Women and Work supports women in England to develop a personal training and career development plan. Training will be aimed towards supervisory or management positions and those areas requiring technical or leadership skills.
Who is eligible?
To be eligible for funded training you should be employed in a full-time or part-time position or self-employed within one of the following industries:
- agriculture
- environmental conservation
- fencing
- game and wildlife
- horticulture, landscaping and sports turf
- production horticulture
- land-based engineering
- trees and timber
How does it work?
Each employer will receive a net £450 cash grant per participant towards eligible approved training costs when there has been a minimum training spend of £650 per participant. The employer must provide the employee with a minimum of two days mentoring time, in the workplace, implementing the new skills they have attained.
Business Forward Project – Cornwall & Isles of Scilly only
Who is eligible?
The project is exclusively available to rural businesses based in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly working in agriculture, animal care, animal technology, aquaculture, environmental conservation, equine, farriery, fencing, fisheries management, floristry, game conservation, land-based engineering, horticulture, landscaping, sports turf, forestry and veterinary nursing.
What do you get?
Access to 100% funding while also gaining a qualification! If you want to progress your business ideas and strategies or overcome the challenges facing your business and could do with some assistance from an experienced specialist expert, Business Forward can help you.
Whether you want to start a new business enterprise, expand your business, assess if an investment is worthwhile or gain key skills to manage staff effectively, Business Forward can offer funded support.
Trained industry experts from Agri-BIP, Duchy College and the Rural Business School are ready to assist you at your place of work and can help you decide which aspect of your business you want to focus on.
Business Forward also offers funding support for apprenticeships in Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly in a range of rural sector businesses.
How?
Specialist Skills Broker, Verity Biddick, has been employed by Lantra, to help deliver Business Forward in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Verity will meet you at your place of work, assess your business training needs and outline the training and business development options that are available to you through Business Forward.
Train to Gain
Train to Gain is the Government’s service to help employers of all sizes and in all sectors get the training advice and support they need to succeed.
Employers can expect that Train to Gain will give them access to:
- High quality advice on skills from a training provider or the Business Link service which can also advise on wider business needs - at no cost to the employer
- Help to identify and source high quality training and qualifications to meet those skills needs
- An expert who will pull together a skills solution package which may include government training subsidies, alongside the employer’s own financial contribution
Train to Gain is the key funding stream for adults, so it normally funds people over 19 years of age. You do need to be in work, part-time or voluntary, to take part.
If you are out of work, see Job Centre Plus, for help in getting training funded, help in actually getting to a job, or for experience in a new job role.
The Train to Gain offer can vary between regions.
Business Link and county/local council
Business Link operates in all regions and acts as a one stop shop for business advice on grants, business clubs, planning applications, training workshops, and many other things. It has specialist advisers who you can deal with to help provide solutions to your business needs.
County and local councils
County councils have several budgets that help pay for key things in your county/local town/borough. There are youth budgets, business expansion loans/grants and other sorts of assistance that may be of use to your YFC or business. Each council is different so contact yours and see what they can do for you.
Regional Development Agencies
England’s Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) were first launched in 1999, with the London Development Agency following in 2000. Their mission is to spread economic prosperity and opportunity to everyone in the nine regions of England.
Other Lantra industry work you can take part in
Lantra Agricultural Crops & Livestock Industry Groups
Members wanted
A representative from NFYFC sits on the Lantra Agriculture Crops & Livestock Industry Group. The chairman is currently seeking to recruit new members and would welcome a YFC member who fits the category of a farmer within the crops/arable/livestock sector. The group meets twice a year.
We need you to ensure the agricultural crops & livestock industry can access the right training and develop the right skills for a competitive and sustainable future. Below are just some of the benefits to industry of being involved in the Crops Industry group.
- Ensures the skills the industry needs, are the skills the industry gets
- Ensure that the training provided and business support supplied, meets what farmers demand
- Ensures that Lantra’s work is focused on agricultural businesses and their requirements
- Provides a forum for farmers to be listened to when identifying their skills and recruitment problems
- Advises and leads on the industries approach to careers information, guidance and recruitment
- More businesses benefit from increased investment in skills and business support leading to increased sustainability, productivity & profit and higher rates of return on capital
To find out more, contact Laura at Lantra, direct on 07867 908176.
Agricultural Consultations
Tell Lantra what you think
Lantra has updated the Standards for Agricultural Management and other related professional occupations.
The standards are the building blocks behind the development of qualifications and training so please check they include what the agricultural industry must be able to do in these management level roles and what you must know and understand.
This will ensure that the training and qualifications provide everything that’s needed for farm managers and others to be successful in what they do.