Nottinghamshire Farming Academy
What is the Nottinghamshire Farming Academy and who is it for?
The Academy is an all industry-led initiative to encourage and support the development of farming business, including new entrants into farming, those involved in family succession, and to help established farmers think about how they can develop and make their business fit for the future. For Nottinghamshire the initiative has been led and developed by; the National Farmers Union, Lantra, Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society, National Young Farmers, individual farmers and Nottingham Trent University (Brackenhurst).
The Academy, incorporating Fresh Start, aims to develop a network of volunteer mentors in England who will be able to offer valuable experience and assistance to those developing farming businesses.
Mentoring can help both established farmers who are considering their options and young farmers and new entrants. It gives them the chance to talk to business people who have faced similar problems to those they will experience on restructuring their business or starting up. Mentors can offer invaluable guidance and support and can act as role models.
The Academy aims to:
- promote an entrepreneurial culture, amongst the next generation of farm business owners
- promote the use of shared business planning and management techniques
- develop a matched mentoring scheme for growing farm enterprises
- offer practical support to foster a continual professional development culture
- aid the development of a matching service, to link potential new entrants with those wishing to reduce their direct involvement or semi-retire
- stimulate existing farmers to think about their businesses in a post CAP reform environment.
Nottinghamshire Farming Academy is a farming community self-help organisation and we use local practitioners to deliver the training. The services are not training courses for young school-leavers who should access this training through local colleges.
Before joining there will be a guidance and advice process to ensure it is the right move for participants. In addition to the opportunity to develop business skills it is intended that participants shadow a business for one year and make proposals for the development of the business for the second year. The programme includes short sessions by leading industry practitioners and selected professional services. The Nottingham Trent University Business Hive can also deliver business skills training.
To join the scheme you will need to demonstrate your passion, enthusiam and energy to succeed. The scheme is run by busy practitioners who are generously giving up valuable time to help like-minded people improve their business prospects. There will be no place on the scheme for those who cannot demonstrate the appropriate level of commitment.
The next Academy programme commences in October with a scheme launch evening at Brackenhurst on Wednesday 20th October 2010 at 7pm. Applicants should register interest by contacting RKEC.
