Our Mission & Purpose

Championing Skills Development for Land Based Industries – Development of a stronger life-long learning culture, resulting in improvements in education, productivity and quality across the whole sector.

Land based industries are now regarded as increasingly significant, not only as custodians of the countryside (75% of land in Britain is currently maintained by Farmers and Estate Managers), but also on economic and social grounds. The world is changing dramatically and the skill sets we require to meet these challenges are far wider than ever before. The UK Government has identified agriculture as one of our major industries, but there is a pressing need to improve our overall quality and productivity, attract and guide more talent into the sector and improve workforce skills. The solution is to establish a new National Land Based College (NLBC), an employer-led virtual college with strong links to existing land based colleges and universities. NLBC will strengthen the sector, building resilience, and supporting associated industries by ensuring that the current and future workforce has access to the best possible skills development opportunities in a co-ordinated manner.

As a registered charity, we operate collaboratively through a hub and spoke model. We link industry with UK specialist institutions via Landex. NLBC will add value across the skills spectrum providing a focal point for Continued Professional Development (CPD) and higher level skills, linked closely to knowledge exchange activities. NLBC will work with our partners, including City & Guilds, to co-create a suite of occupation-focused qualifications, supported by digital technology and blended learning tools. NLBC will provide a digital land based hub, which enables those registered to access a gateway to existing careers, education and professional development information, linking them to industry and future opportunities.

Four principles define how we work:


Communicate and build relationships, inspiring conversations and connections.


Support, convene, partner and facilitate joint working.


Anticipate trends, future proof skills and fully embrace technology.


Create high quality qualifications, information resources and delivery methods.

NLBC can provide you with information, opportunities, resources and career connections that will be invaluable to you throughout your land based journey. Register with us now to receive these benefits and stay up-to-date with our latest developments.

Register now!

Our vision is that:

  • UK land based education is world leading and intrinsically linked to the needs of employers.
  • A stronger life-long learning culture exists across land based, resulting in improvements in workforce, productivity, quality and ultimately profit across the whole sector.
  • Land based is an attractive career option, with individuals provided with the required skills, knowledge, development and guidance throughout their professional careers.
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