1. Recruiting and Retaining High-Calibre Young People into the Farming Workforce of the Future Tim Jackson, Principal, Sparsholt College

2. Agriculture/Food; Attractive Features Beautiful rural landscape context Varied and seasonal pattern to working life Exciting technical dimensions to business Significant investment in machinery and equipment Long-term employment prospects – ‘food will never go out of fashion’

3. Negative Perceptions Low pay; ‘perception more than reality’ Poor working conditions Lack of intellectual demand (oh arr) Lack of structured career development within the employment Reluctance of employers to co-invest in employee training

4. A Central Southern England Response Sparsholt College + NFU NFU personal invitations to some leading Businesses Pow-wow Endorsed ‘negative perceptions’ Considered Apprenticeship Academy as one potential response

5. Vision A formal working partnership of leading agri-food businesses with Sparsholt College designed to attract, recruit and retain a cohort of high calibre young new entrants to a highly skilled and appropriately remunerated workforce for the Agri-Food Sector in Central Southern England.

6. Probable use of an ATA model ATA = Government-backed employing entity ATA employs and recharges costs +15% Apprentices join Academy cohort & could be moved between positions Businesses ‘take-a-stake’ in this group of new entrants Pay starts low – but possibilities = enticing…

7. Operating model (formative) Recruit from 15-year-olds Focus on high-calibre performers Promote good long-term sustainable careers with Level III Apprenticeship & part-time routes to HND/HNC/Foundation Degree Up to 2 years F/T at College (++) Up to 20 months on Level III Apprenticeship

8. Steering Group Vital to success Leading businesses Promote the profile of the Academy to encourage forward-looking employers to join To oversee the content and quality of the offer of the Academy

9. Steering Group To communicate with the Agric Skills Forum established by Richard Longthorp, in seeking to influence policy towards Apprenticeships. Richard Longthorp OBE on his farm