When I was at school and sat in front of the careers advisor, the answer that came from the tick box survey was veterinary. I guess it does have some resemblance to the farmer career that I had envisaged.

My father, who did not encourage women to work on the farm, dissuaded me further. A physical role, not for women. His view was certainly based on the attitudes of the 1960s and 1970s when for many women career opportunities were limited. And so ensued a number of years during which I really had no idea what I wanted to be or do. Fortunately, my passion for agriculture continued to burn strongly and I made the decision, four years after my peers, to go to Harper Adams Agricultural University and it continues to be the best decision I’ve made. 


Farming: the job spec

Whilst it feels as though we have made such progress with many things in 30 years, there is still so much more to be done to embrace the breadth and depth of careers available in the rural sector and to disseminate that information.

Looking in, a farmer role could be seen in a simplistic manner yet those involved in the sector know the complexities at play. Farmers have always been a jack of all trades and, more often than not, a master of them all too. How do we succinctly define what a farmer does to enable a single, inspiring job specification be produced? If we struggle with this seemingly simple task, how can we clearly articulate the opportunities available across the sector which also include those in the auxiliary industries?

At a recent agricultural conference that Gresham’s School in Norfolk organised for students, one industry speaker said, “think of any role you want to do and you can do it within the realms of the agricultural sector.” 


Skills for a sustainable agricultural sector

If we think about how agriculture has changed over the years and we have a sneak look into the future we can be sure that more skills will be required to support a sustainable sector. GIS, technology, social media, robots, and all within themes of profitability, sustainability, climate change, environmental protection and food production, to name a few. The rural sector of the future will depend on those who can bring new thinking, out of the box ideas and innovation and will be driven by the diversity embraced within it.


Inclusion and awareness

The agricultural sector has been accused of lacking diversity; at the recent Oxford Farming Conference, Amie Burke, IGD, stated that it isn’t about diversity, it’s about inclusion and inclusion has the ability to increase productivity by 60 per cent. Inclusion being the ability to create a safe space for everyone to be their true selves. The agricultural sector suffers from a severe shortage of labour yet if we could 1) educate and inform our next generation of the amazing breadth and depth of opportunities available and 2) if we could ensure everyone felt safe and included in our sector, we could increase productivity dramatically and, therefore, we could have a significant impact on the labour challenges the sector faces. 

There are a number of opportunities for students to increase their knowledge of careers across the sector. The NFU offers free student membership, many of the agricultural shows offer free attendance, and agricultural conferences are either free or at a much reduced fee. TIAH (The Institute for Agriculture & Horticulture) has recently been launched with a mission to be the “gateway to advice, support, and training you’ll need to pursue a rewarding career” across the agriculture and horticulture sectors.

There continues to be more roles in the rural sector than there are people to fill them. And what we know is that passion + skill = the world is your oyster.   

With no single pathway to a career in agriculture, as well as our strong links to the agricultural universities, Savills works with schools, mainstream universities and colleges, and armed forces resettlement schemes to raise awareness and encourage new entrants.

Further information

Contact Mark Scott or follow these links:

https://careers.savills.com/departments/rural-projects

https://www.linkedin.com/company/savills/life/ac05d0a8-526a-4b9d-873c-cd197a1e4ff0/

https://www.savills.co.uk/contact-us/careers/service-leavers-in-real-estate.aspx