CGC Oakgrove 4.0

Agriculture

Sector Outlook Careers in agriculture are centred on the cultivation and care of livestock and crops for food. There are over 150,000 businesses in the agriculture industry employing around 1% workforce (450,000 people). The sector trend has been a general decline in job numbers over recent years as the industry has faced import competition and price pressures from retail buyers. To maintain profits in such a volatile market, farmers have needed to innovate and introduce new farming technologies to improve efficiencies and reduce costs. There has been a general trend to diversify incomes in recent years into organic food stuffs, biofuels, solar, wind, office rental, glamping experiences, farm shops and other income streams. Scotland continues to see a boom in its aquaculture, with rising production in salmon and shellfish. The UK is also seen as strength in technology, research and development. The industry has seen a revolution in nutrition, genetics, informatics, satellite imaging, remote sensing and precision farming. With an aging workforce the sector is forecast to need 595,000 entrants between now and 2020, this includes 447,000 workers needed to replace those leaving through retirement. There is also a skills shortage existing in horticulture, landscape architecture, land-based engineering and fisheries management and those with agronomy skills. Average income for full time workers in the sector is £20,000, below the national average of £27,000 but the general trend is that total income from farming is rising (TIFF). This sector provides opportunities for training and development at all stages, and there is a long tradition of work based learning. Desirable qualities within candidates include: relevant practical and technical skills, an interest in the subject, teamwork skills, business awareness and physical fitness for some roles. There are a number of land-based colleges throughout the UK where training, qualification and work experience can be obtained through a variety of courses. Jobs are not always formally advertised as the sector is dominated by small companies; sending out speculative applications is one way to combat this. Agrirs, Agcareers & Agrifj all have dedicated careers sections for browsing jobs or look in magazines such as Farmers Weekly.