Grouse beating on the heather moorland at Burnsall, turning out a thoroughbred stallion for an hour’s cross country practice across a 40 acre estate just outside Skipton, building dry stone walls in the breathtaking landscape above Malham... believe it or not, these inspirational rural scenes are all examples of the ‘hands on’ outdoor learning opportunities offered by the School of Land Based Studies and Engineering at Craven College. Victoria Benn goes back to ‘school’ to find  out more.

Craven College is uniquely placed to listen and respond to the needs of our Dales businesses, in particular land-based businesses such as those within agriculture, horticulture, agricultural engineering, animal care, countryside management and equine.

The college’s aim is to make sure that they reflect the changing needs of local employers, and build a curriculum that will ensure that future skills requirements across the Dales are anticipated and met.

Many readers of the Craven Herald will remember the College in the 1960s and ‘70s. It was well known for its agricultural offering, with its ‘School of Agriculture’ being where the Skipton Building Society Head Office now resides, on the corner of The Bailey in Skipton.

Farming was booming at this time, and the emphasis was on equipping young people with the skills they needed to work on the family farm.

“The ‘80s and ‘90s however, saw big and traumatic changes take place in the farming industry,” explains college principal Robert Bellfield. “Farms started diversifying in order to survive, which meant that Craven College started diversifying the courses they offered, in order to meet the needs of the changing local economy. Fixing tractors and other farm machinery, contracting out fencing and walling skills, setting up riding stables and livery yards, even establishing B&Bs, were all other ways that farmers could earn a living, or augment the living they were earning from their farms.” continues Simon Midgley, who heads up the School of Land Based Studies and Engineering at the College.

“As a result the college gradually started to offer all sorts of courses in agricultural engineering, horticulture, floristry and equine, as well as the more traditional agriculture.” confirms Simon.

Robert picks up the thread again: “Changes in lifestyle and leisure time also opened up new opportunities for people working on the land. Past times like walking, fishing and shooting have become incredibly popular, and this is reflected in the popularity of our countryside management courses. These courses cover everything from forestry, to fencing, to walling, to moorland management to game keeping and fishing.” At the last count there were over 800 students enrolled within the College’s School of LSE. The 800 is a mixture of full-time and part-time students studying anything from Level 1 right up to degree level, as well as a large proportion working towards an apprenticeship.

With on-going concerns over sustainable farming and future food production, and increasing anxieties for wildlife and landscape protection, these numbers are very reassuring indeed.

With the age that young people must stay in full-time education rising to 18 this September, Craven College has plenty to offer anyone who doesn’t wish to stay on at school. Students can enrol at college to study on a full-time course, or on an apprenticeship, and there are still some land-based apprenticeship vacancies up for grabs with local employers.

The actual School of LSE has been based at Skipton Auction Mart since 2001. Hidden away, it is unexpectedly huge when discovered, it is only a few minutes’ walk from the main Aireville campus and all the facilities there. The site is also just a short walk from Skipton Railway Station, which makes a career on the land a very real and accessible possibility to students from more urban areas in West Yorkshire too.

The location at the auction mart offers a unique facet to the students’ learning experience, as they are exposed to the commercial side of the agricultural world on a daily basis. Come the auctions, and students will observe farmers and specialist breeders all coming to the site to strike important deals. The mart also highlights some interesting tensions which are indicative of life in a rural area. Where else would you find an animal care clinic sitting alongside a lesson on countryside management and pest control? The other remarkable thing about the School of LSE, are the partnerships that exist between it and rural businesses across the Dales. The most common timetable for the courses is three days theoretical and practical input at college, with two days ‘hands on’ learning in the field – literally. Field-based learning can be anything from heather burning to hedge planting, to foot trimming and sheep dosing.

Another important part of the college’s land-based offering are its centres of excellence.

“We actually run the Northern School of Garden Design out of RHS Harlow Carr in Harrogate,” explains Robert. “We are recognised as specialists in garden design and as such have been able to set up wonderful facilities at Harlow Carr where we run part-time and full-time courses up to degree level.” The other centre of excellence is the ‘Centre for Dry Stone Walling’ which is situated right next to the auction mart. “The craft of dry stone walling is taken to such a high level in the Craven area that we felt we should offer a centre which reflected that. The Dry Stone Walling Association accredits all our courses from Level 1 up to Master Craftsman level,” explains Simon.

So what did I learn from my day back at ‘school’? I learnt that where Skipton is the ‘Gateway to the Dales’, Craven College is most certainly the gateway to a career in the Dales, whatever your age or previous experience. And, for a relatively small further and higher education college, the School of LSE certainly packs a punch.

The jewel in the crown for me was the equine section, which quite literally dazzled, with its 21 stables, livery yard and a magnificent 35x40m indoor arena – I just wish I had brought my riding boots!

Craven College is hosting an open morning called ‘Choices’ on Friday March 21st. Taster sessions for potential students are being run in Animal Studies; Countryside, Environment, Gamekeeping and Agriculture; Equine Studies; Agricultural Mechanics and Engineering, and Automotive Mechanics and Engineering. Visit http://cravencollege2014. eventbrite.co.uk to book a place. Call 01756 791411 or see craven-college.ac.uk for more details about anything covered in this feature.