Students precisely steering their future careers

Award-winning precision farming specialists SoilEssentials, has stepped in to help boost the technical training of the next generation of skilled agriculturalists.

Dundee & Angus College, which is local to the Angus based firm, successfully applied for a £50k College Innovation Fund award from the Scottish Funding Council to support students who want to pursue hi-tech rural careers. This funding has now partially been used to purchase a bespoke package of industry-leading precision farming guidance equipment from SoilEssentials.

Robert Ramsay, Commercialisation Director with SoilEssentials explains more:

“It fantastic to see our local Agricultural college benefit from this funding, allowing them to introduce the latest precision farming technology to the curriculum. I believe it’s hugely important to ensure that the emerging farming workforce has exposure to this type of equipment early in their training and careers.”

“It has also been a pleasure to work with the college; we discussed with them the wide range of precision guidance and steering solutions available, took on board their aims and objectives and then presented a bespoke solution.”

“Keith Sinclair, one of our expert engineers has now visited The Glebe, which is the farm associated with the Arbroath college campus, to install Trimble equipment in three tractors. Products supplied and fitted included a Trimble EZ-Guide 250 guidance display and two Trimble GFX-750 guidance displays along with SoilEssentials very own EssentialsNet RTK correction signal.”

Peter Beattie, Agricultural Lecturer at Dundee & Angus College explains more:

“We’ve introduced Agri-tech and precision farming lessons into our new courses at the College. It is important that we ensure these courses are not isolated from the ever-changing technology developed and deployed in the wider agricultural industry. We were therefore delighted to secure the Scottish Funding Council grant which, has not only allowed us to purchase bespoke precision tech, but will also support collaboration between the College and rural businesses such as SoilEssentials, for years to come.”

“This equipment and the advice provided by SoilEssentials will ensure that students enter the workplace aware of the opportunities that technology brings to agriculture. It will directly benefit students on our full-time Agri-Skills and Estate Courses, and also be utilised to provide a foundation course in modern farming for up to 20 local secondary schools students annually.”

“The kit will give students valuable hands-on experience and real knowledge that they can utilise in their future careers.”

Dundee & Angus College have limited places still available on their Agricultural Skills course for 2020/21 but there is still opportunity to apply for this and other land-based courses.

The College has also created a video for rural businesses, highlighting options for employees who might wish to study agriculture on a part-time learning basis.

For information about the courses on offer at Dundee & Angus College please visit: www.dundeeandangus.ac.uk The short video introducing the Agri Skills course can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HI9vAhYd3c&feature=youtu.be