Rural skills pay off

21 April 2000

Rural skills pay off

PEOPLE are still clamouring to work in the countryside, John Alliston, dean of the school of agriculture at the Royal Agricultural College, told the 60 young people attending a two-day taster course in Land-based Careers at the Cirencester campus this week.

"You develop technical and man-management skills, get the chance to work inside and outside and can take on considerable responsibility at a young age," he said to the fifth and lower-sixth formers. "It offers the chance to acquire considerable personal skills."

While any further education could mean a short-term financial sacrifice, it should pay dividends in the long-run, he said. There are still some well-paid jobs to be found in agriculture. &#42