Thurso college reports on the increasing professionalism of gamekeeping
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North Highland College (UHI) in Thurso recognises that an industry recognised degree "provides the increased professionalism" in making gamekeeping a career option.
In marking National Careers Week (7th – 11th March) Scotland’s leading rural colleges report that they have been inundated with student applications for places in their gamekeeping and wildlife management courses, with colleges now working with over 30 Scottish estates.
North Highland College (UHI), Thurso is currently working with over 30 estates throughout Scotland from the Western Isles to Dumfries and Galloway, who provide work training, placements and field trips for its gamekeeping and wildlife management students. The students gain a unique learning experience from headkeepers on their work placements who train the students in their own individual and time-honoured way.
David Olds, Gamekeeping and Wildlife Management lecturer at North Highland College (UHI) Thurso, said: “The level of interest in our NC and modern apprenticeship courses has soared over the past two years.
"As a result of the pandemic we had to adopt a more blended way of teaching which actually suited our students. Our course has also developed considerably as we have noticed more students coming from outwith the Caithness area and perhaps with less experience of the industry but who have a passion and drive to work in the countryside and are choosing gamekeeping as a career.
“We deliver online lectures that fit in to the students’ working day on their estate where the sessions provide fundamental knowledge on industry legislation, conservation measures, best practice and health and safety out on the moors.
"Our field trips not only provide physical learning on how to handle equipment, key management practices and predator control, but allow students to come together, share experiences and build morale. Combining tutor-led learning with extensive practical placements is paramount to produce employable students.”
The Gift of Grouse is a campaign to highlight the benefits of grouse moors to Scotland. The initiative focuses on four key pillars – tourism and leisure, employment, environment and conservation, and accessibility – to demonstrate the difference that grouse shooting makes to both fragile countryside communities and to wider Scotland.
The campaign states: "Estates investing in young people and the next generation of gamekeepers is imperative as the grouse and sporting industry is vitally important to rural Scotland in terms of both social and economic contributions. Grouse shooting plays a major part in the £200 million that is generated for the economy by shooting and stalking every year."
To find out more about The Gift of Grouse visit:
