Modern Apprenticeship in Game and Wildlife Management at SCQF Level 5

The environmental and land-based sector currently accounts for approximately 115,700 employees and 24,500
businesses in Scotland. Research carried out by Lantra in 2010 shows that the Game and Wildlife management
industry plays an important role in the environmental and land-based sector, representing 9% (2,300) of businesses
and 4% (5,300) of employees. The industry employment base is mainly made up of seasonal or part-time jobs; due to
this it is very difficult to provide clear statistics on business size. However, it seems that generally businesses are small
across the sector. The British Association for Shooting and Conservation Research estimates that the average
organisation has three volunteer workers.

A survey carried out by Public and Corporate Economic Consultants on behalf of 17 organisations involved in shooting
and conservation revealed that shooters spend an estimated £2.5 billion a year on goods and services. This produces
a direct financial benefit to the UK – defined as gross value added (GvA) – of £2 billion a year. This survey indicates a
need to ensure we have trained individuals to support this sector to maintain its influence on the economy. The
report also indicated that there are currently around 35,000 jobs directly supporting shooting and conservation in the
UK. The industry also directly supports around 5,200 full time jobs in the food and accommodation sector which
helps to sustain rural communities in the autumn and winter when conventional income from tourism has reduced.
Therefore, it is crucial that the industry has well trained employees who can qualify by completing a flexible Modern
Apprenticeship.

The game and wildlife management sector has two main purposes: protecting habitats and promoting biodiversity, as
well as supporting tourism and recreation. Employees can work with a range of species; however, in Scotland they
mainly focus on deer, rabbits and hares, and birds such as grouse, pheasant and partridge. Through their work the
game and wildlife management industry encourages bio-diversity by protecting vulnerable, endangered species and
wildlife habitats.

There are three main types of gamekeeper: lowland, upland and highland, and although some principles of their work
will be the same they work in different ways and with different species. There are also two other areas of work that
gamekeepers could be involved in: deer and game rearing (with approximately 40 million game birds released each
year in the UK). These two areas of work involve similar basic knowledge but have specific specialities.

Microbusinesses dominate the sector in Scotland, with 83% of the sector employing 0-4 people; there are a small
amount of businesses that don’t fall into the norm and employ more than ten employees. Within the Game and
Wildlife industry, the fact that they are often remote microbusinesses means that there is a reliance on staff being
qualified with up-to-date technologies and practices. Once qualified, workers will be expected to work within
relatively small teams and use their own initiative. As some of the work can be dangerous and there are several safety
and welfare laws that must be followed, it is important that employees have the skills and knowledge to work in the
industry.

Modern Apprenticeship in Game and Wildlife Management at SCQF Level 5 website