Current & Future Skills Needs of Agri-Tech Survey

The LEP is undertaking this research to identify the current and future skills needs of the agriculture sector. Your feedback will be incredibly useful to ensure that skills support is shaped around the real needs of businesses.

Please note, the following terms are used within the survey. In this context, this is the definition that is used:

Controlled Environment Agriculture is an umbrella term for the following methods:

a. Vertical Farming: practice of growing plants under controlled conditions

b. Hydroponics: plants that are grown in the absence of soil by using nutrient solution

c. Aeroponics: plants are still grown in the absence of soil by using a nutrient solution

d. Aquaponics: form of hydroponics where nutrients are provided through the waste products of aquatic creatures

Circular Economy is about minimising waste and making the most of our resources. Adopting a circular approach would mean removing waste from your processes, or any waste that is produced is transformed into a new product to generate new income for the farm.

1.How long has your business been operating?(Required.)

< 1 year

1 – 5 years

5 – 10 years

> 10 years

2.How many people do you employ within your business?(Required.)

1 – 9

10 – 49

50 – 249

> 250

3.Research has identified the following methods as a growing opportunity for agriculture. Do you use any of these methods on your farm? (tick all that apply)(Required.)

Controlled environmental agriculture (definition included in the introduction)

Precision agriculture

Regenerative farming and soil management

Circular economy (definition included in the introduction)

None of the above

4.If you don’t use these methods, what is the reason for that?

Lack of skills

Lack of knowledge on these methods

Lack of funding

Lack of capacity

Other (please specify)

5.Do you have a training budget?(Required.)

Yes

6.What are the key skills that your business currently requires within these identified themes? (Tick all that apply)(Required.)

Environmental (i.e. understanding a farm’s carbon footprint, benchmarking this)

Health & Safety

Farm Business Admin & Accounting

Mental Health & Wellbeing

Countryside Accreditation Education (i.e. Countryside Educational Visits Accreditation Scheme)

Food Producer Accreditation (i.e. Safe and Local Supplier Accreditation)

Technical (e.g. agronomy, livestock)

Other (please specify)

7.How are you looking to access these skills?

Through current staff

Training/upskilling of current staff

Employing new staff

Knowledge transfer through consultants or support organisations (i.e. NFU, CLA etc.)

Local training providers (e.g. Lantra)

York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub

8.If you answered ‘employing new staff’, at what level is this?

Senior management

Elementary

9.Have you had any of the following challenges with recruiting new staff? (Tick all that are relevant)

Limited number of people applying for the job role (i.e. labour shortages)

Those that do apply don’t have the right level of skills (i.e. skills gaps)

Other (please specify)

10.If you’re looking to train current staff, where would you prefer the training is held?

External (e.g. colleges, through sector networks such as NFU, CLA etc.)

On the farm

Peer-to-peer / another farm

Through informal farmer networks

12.What are the future skills that your business requires? (Tick all that apply)(Required.)

Environmental (i.e. understanding a farm’s carbon footprint, benchmarking this)

Health & Safety

Farm Business Admin & Accounting

Mental Health & Wellbeing

Countryside Accreditation Education (i.e. Countryside Educational Visits Accreditation Scheme)

Food Producer Accreditation (i.e. Safe and Local Supplier Accreditation)

Technical (e.g. agronomy, livestock)

Other (please specify)

13.Why are these future skills required (i.e. adapting to environmental challenges/policy changes, diversification)?(Required.)

14.Would you recruit new people for these skills or retrain current staff?

Recruit new staff

Retrain new staff

15.The funding landscape can be very confusing and difficult to navigate right now. Is this an area where you require further skills or support?(Required.)

Yes

16.Are there any other comments you’d like to make about your skills needs which have not been included in the previous questions?