Training

UPCOMING COURSES

17th February, Tractor Maintenance, near Dingwall, £70

24th February, Lambing, Stornoway, £30

24th February and 2nd March, Small-scale Horticulture, Ardersier, £60

2nd and 3rd March, Entry Level Induction course, Inverness, £60. Fully booked, reserve list in operation

7th March, Lambing, Strathspey, £30

10th March, Introduction to Keeping Pigs, Strathcarron, £40

13th March, Lambing, Lairg, £30

16th March, Keeping Hens, Stornoway, £30

16th and 17th March, Dry Stone Walling, Benbecula, £50

22nd and 23rd March, Dry Stone Walling, Broadford, £50

23rd March (afternoon), Keeping Hens, Strathcarron, £20

24th March (morning), Keeping Hens, near Muir of Ord, £20

20th and 21st April, Entry Level Induction course, Ullapool, £60

 For details and to book a place please contact or 01599 530005.  Further information on the courses can be found here, and booking terms and conditions are available here.

Further courses are being arranged, please keep checking back for updates.

 The Scottish Crofting Federation offers a number of training opportunities, supported with funding from the Scottish Government and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Training is available for aspiring, new and existing crofters and open to anyone with an interest in learning more about rural skills and crofting.  The established Entry Level Crofting Induction course, a classrom based evening class, is described in further detail immediately below.  This is followed by information on the Practical Skills Training programme, which started in 2011.

ENTRY LEVEL CROFTING INDUCTION COURSE

A ten session entry level induction course designed for new entrants, recent assignees, aspirant crofters and anyone wishing to know more about modern crofting.

This course has proved to be very popular over the past 10 years and acclaimed by past students and tutors alike. It is delivered by the Scottish Crofting Federation (SCF) a founder member of the "Highlands and Islands Crofter and Small Landholders Training Panel". The panel is a partnership arrangement comprising SCF, Forestry Commission Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Lantra (Sector Skills Council for Land Based Industries), Scottish Agricultural College and Scottish Natural Heritage.

Course tutors are drawn from organisations having statutory and advisory responsibilities in crofting, environment or small business. There is no assumption made of prior knowledge and participants will be led from the most basic level to a point that gives a broad, informed and up to date view of present day crofting.  Each student will be provided with supporting handouts, brochures/leaflets and recommendations for further reading, help and advice. Students are awarded a certificate for successfully completing this course.

The Entry Level Crofting Induction courses are part-time and classroom based, consisting of ten, week-day evening sessions of two hours. They take place at various locations throughout the Highlands and Islands during the winter months, usually January through to March/April.

For more detailed information on the session contents please click here to download synopsis in pdf.

Quotes from previous participants:

        "Excellent value for money, excellent course content, very happy student!"

        "Fantastic course, I've thoroughly enjoyed it"

        "I will be sure to recommend the course to anyone interested in crofting"

Winter 2012 Entry Level courses 

Course locations and dates for the 10 week evening class in early 2012 are as follows:

Ullapool, Ross-shire.  Starting Tuesday 31st January

Broadford, Isle of Skye.  Starting Thursday 2nd February

Craignure, Mull.  Starting Thursday 9th February.

Kilchoan, Ardnamurchan.  Starting in March, dates to be confirmed.

Benbecula, Uist.  Starting in March, dates to be confirmed.

To register an interest in any of these courses please get in touch with SCF using the contact details below, the course costs £60, with some concessions available.

The Entry Level course is also available in a 2-day intensive format, which has been developed to encourage access for those who are some distance from the standard courses. There will be two courses running in this format in spring, these are:

2nd and 3rd March, Inverness.  Fully booked, but a waiting list has been started.

20th and 21st April, Ullapool

For more information, to book a place or to register an interest in future Entry Level training courses please get in touch:

Su Cooper, SCF Training Manager, e-mail: or contact SCF HQ by telephone on 01599 530005 or e-mail: anytime.

PRACTICAL SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAMME

Aspiring, new and existing crofters may also be interested in the range of practical skills training sessions offered by SCF.  These are open to anyone with an interst in developing rural skills involved in running a croft or smallholding. The training is divided into 6 different units, participants can concentrate on courses in a particular unit of interest or attend a wide range of courses to suit individual needs. The units, and some example training days, are as follows:

• Crofting Livestock (sheep shearing; lambing; basic livestock husbandry)
• Croft Land Management (fencing; pest control; soil analysis; equipment use)
• Crofting Conservation and Environment (muirburn; improving grassland; managing wetland)
• Crofter Forestry (coppicing; structural support for trees; deer management)
• Crofter Horticulture (use of polytunnels; crop disorders; soft fruit growing)
• Crofter Heritage Skills (local dry-stone walling styles; thatching)  
  

Most training days will be practical and hands-on, some courses, such as Dry Stone Walling, are 2 days duration.  A certificate of attendance will be provided for each training course, allowing participants to build up a portfolio of training attended towards each unit. Courses will cost from £30 for each day of training.

Training courses offered will be determined by the level of demand and the availability of appropriate trainers to carry out the sessions.  We would be delighted to hear of training requests from crofters over the next few months, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Upcoming courses will be advertised locally and at the top of this web page so keep checking back for updates.

Please click on the following links for a more extensive list of topics that may be offered: Livestock; Horticulture; Land Management; Forestry; Conservation; Heritage.  A registration form is available here and booking terms and conditions here.

Contact and enquiries about the programme can be made to:

Tel. 01599 530005

Email: