The AgriSkills Forum was set up in Autumn 2008 to ensure that skills development and recognition were addressed in the agricultural and horticultural industries, by challenging all organisations to make skills an active priority.
The vision of the AgriSkills Forum is:
An editorial sub-group chaired by Yorkshire farmer Richard Longthorp and including representatives from the NFU, Lantra and Landex was formed to develop the AgriSkills Strategy. It was produced in consultation with industry organisations and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The AgriSkills Strategy aims to:
The AgriSkills Forum exists to challenge other organisations to deliver against the AgriSkills Vision for a skilled and professional industry. Whilst being realistic as to what is deliverable, it will, nevertheless, be aspirational in its approach.
The AgriSkills Forum appreciates and acknowledges, for reasons that are well understood, that at times its aspirations might be greater than those of some or all of its constituent organisations. But if the AgriSkills Forum limits its aspirations to that of the collective of its member organisations it has no useful purpose to play.
To lead the delivery of the vision of “Towards a New Professionalism” – the industry backed skills strategy for Agriculture & Horticulture:
AgriSkills Forum will:
The AgriSkills Forum Management Group will comprise representatives from:
AgriSkills Forum will work with:
AgriSkills Forum operates in England but collaborates fully with devolved administrations on skills where appropriate.
Notes:
1A Professional Framework, developed in conjunction with industry over a period of time will:
2Food & Farming is meant to describe primary production and those farming businesses where further processing / packing takes place and hence where the line between food production and farming per se becomes somewhat blurred. It is not at this point in time intended to encroach on the territory of businesses whose primary function is food manufacture from primary products / ingredients produced elsewhere.