Nominee Summary
CLS and the CNPA organised a large rural careers event, ‘Your Future Here’ in Aviemore, which showcased diverse rural job opportunities through hands-on activities and workshops, supported by 25 local organisations. Featured by STV News and BBC Landward, it gave important exposure to difficulties that rural employers face in recruiting skilled young people. https://youtu.be/XJQwm3itFto?si=QKP05O3z1W7Yp6qr This event was part of the “Pathways to Rural Work” initiative, aimed at improving access to rural careers and training for youth in Scotland. By partnering with schools, employers, and the rural community, P2RW promotes sustainable rural careers and encourages youth engagement with Scotland's natural environment.
The preservation of skills
The P2RW initiative promotes the importance of preserving rural skills through projects such as 'Your Future Here', which showcased the full spectrum of vital rural skills such as farriery, agriculture, forestry, peatland restoration and whisky distilling. Efforts were made to cover all rural industries at the event, with particular focus on green skills and careers in conservation and renewable energy that are vital for the future of our rural landscape in the Cairngorms. Furthermore, guest speakers were invited to present to the crowd on topics such as finding a career in farming with no background in the industry, women in typically male-dominated industries like forestry and agriculture, and how to start up a business as a self-employed person in a rural area. Such discussions are important to encourage and inspire the future of Scotland's workforce to pursue fulfilling careers in the rural sector. Further notable projects within P2RW in the Cairngorms include the Balmoral Rural Skills event, which saw 60 Aberdeenshire pupils arrive at Balmoral Estate to learn practical rural skills such as spey casting, working with hill ponies and gardening. The regional coordinator also designed a six-week project for a group of eight S4 pupils from Inverurie Academy, focusing on practical skills and rural careers, specifically in peatland restoration. Pupils learned from a NatureScot Peatland Officer, visited Muir of Dinnet to observe active bogs & take peat measurements, and designed peatland restoration dams after learning all about the significance of peatlands for tackling the climate emergency in Scotland.
Increasing awareness
‘Your Future Here’ was widely attended by young people across the Cairngorms, Central Highlands and Scotland as a whole. 170 pupils from 7 secondary schools and a further 200 school leavers attended the event, making it one of the largest rural careers events to have ever been ran in the Cairngorms. The wider P2RW programme across the Cairngorms has interacted with 800 secondary pupils from 10 secondary schools and 80 primary pupils from 5 primary schools since August 2024. The nominee has increased awareness of rural career pathways and skills across a total of 15 events in the region which have been organised in collaboration with a host of partner organisations such as CNPA, DYW, Balmoral Estate and more, supporting 43 different rural businesses. A notable example being the pioneering Dark Skies project with Glenlivet Estate, which taught geography students from Speyside High School about the significance of the dark skies for biodiversity, the environment and local out-of-season tourism. This was the first educational project with local young people that the Glenlivet & Tomintoul Dark Skies Park had facilitated. Pupils learned about bat detecting, light pollution and astronomy, as well as experiencing an overnight stay on the estate to fully immerse themselves in the darkness. They experienced a creative writing workshop with Dark Skies author Anna Levin to help them express their connection to the dark skies – an important element, as connection to nature creates life-long advocacy for the rural landscape. https://youtu.be/UxLEqvGGOVE?si=nTVZougaxTn6p_8W
Ethical/environmental standards
Rural communities depend on strong local employment to sustain homes, schools, services, and interconnected businesses. Ensuring their long-term viability requires a holistic approach that brings together these elements. CLS works to support this by promoting careers across a broad spectrum of rural sectors—including land management, recreation, tourism, forestry, conservation, hospitality, and renewable energy—alongside their extensive supply chains. 'Your Future Here' exemplified this mission by bringing together 25 local employers to showcase job opportunities, promote their services, and connect directly with young people. Through such initiatives, CLS not only highlights the breadth of rural careers but also reinforces the critical role rural employment plays in sustaining vibrant, resilient communities. In the period since August 2024 P2RW Cairngorms has worked alongside 43 rural employers and organisations to promote rural skills and local employment opportunities across the Cairngorms National Park and surrounding areas. CLS aims to grow a resilient, inclusive workforce by creating opportunities for young people of all backgrounds. The charity has a strong track record of inclusive engagement, notably through its award-winning ADHD programme. This gives employers the confidence to work with a diverse range of young people who often thrive in rural settings. These rural career pathways offer vital alternatives to an academically driven education system, prioritising hands-on, vocational skills and providing a sense of purpose, mental wellbeing, and long-term sustainability for those often underserved by traditional models. By connecting youth to meaningful work in the countryside, CLS helps address social and economic inequalities while also supporting environmental stewardship.
Noteworthy improvements
One 17-year-old, Angus Macdonald, was successful in securing an apprenticeship with Hydrasun in Aviemore because of Your Future Here. Angus left school after his exams in May 2024 and had been working at his mum’s restaurant until he secured his CNC Operator apprenticeship with Hydrasun. Since starting his apprenticeship, Angus has been learning how to use CAD and operate lasers, as well as learning about packaging products, good practice in industry and understanding health and safety. He feels excited about the prospect of learning and growing in this position over the next 3 years. A further 7 people have progressed to interview stage for jobs with NHS Highland after meeting NHS staff at Your Future Here. Additionally, GrowBiz have taken on an additional 23 new clients following the event, who have all been in contact since the event with different levels of intervention. The Cairngorms National Park Authority offered work experience packages on the day of the event, which were successfully attained by students at the event.
Overcoming Challenges
Transport and finding funding to allow school groups to participate in trips, events or class visits is the main challenge that the P2RW regional coordinator faces in the Cairngorms. In schools which have access to their own minibus, this issue is mitigated largely, as the only cost incurred is the fuel at £0.45/mile. However, booking buses for school groups can be extremely expensive, even for a short journey. This (alongside teaching staff shortages) is a significant limitation to the projects that the regional coordinator can organise for the schools, and often the more successful projects are those ran on school grounds instead of taking pupils elsewhere. Accordingly, the regional coordinator hopes to continue developing innovative ways to engage pupils within the Cairngorms National Park in the Pathways to Rural Work Programme via technology, as well as by utilising the outdoor spaces within walking distance of the school, to eliminate the barriers that both transport and staff shortages pose. Examples of such projects that have been ran in the region include Live Chat a Farmer, whereby Scottish farmers offered virtual workplace tours, and spoke about their career pathway and topics including diversification, biodiversity and a holistic approach to the climate crisis and the integration of renewable energy. The project also includes a project-based learning activity for pupils to present their own 10-year land management plan for a model farm, which they presented via Zoom and received feedback from the panel of farmers.
