“Being part of the Farming Connect Agri Academy was a fantastic experience which gave me new skills, new friends and business contacts and a support network which ensures I will continue to strive forward. I would urge anyone wanting to work in the farming, food or forestry industry to apply,” says 32 year old Gail Lewis, a qualified rural chartered surveyor who was brought up at her family’s beef and sheep farm in Llanidloes.
Farming Connect, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government, first launched its innovative personal development programme in 2012. Now approaching its fourth year and with nearly 80 alumni, the Agri Academy programme comprises three separate elements. Gail was selected to take part in the Rural Leadership Programme, a joint collaboration with the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society which aims to develop and nurture a new generation of rural leaders. There is also an Agri Academy Business & Innovation Programme which offers personal and business development and a Junior Programme, a joint collaboration with YFC Wales, which is open to young people aged between 16 and 19 years old wanting to consider a career within the food, farming and forestry industry.
Together, the three programmes bring together some of the most promising people making their way in the agricultural industry in Wales today, giving them the inspiration, confidence, skills and contacts they need to become future rural leaders, professional business people and entrepreneurs.
“My Agri Academy experience helped me greatly. I gained the confidence to try different things, to meet new people and to travel the world to learn more about the agricultural industry. Without that encouragement and support, I would never have applied for the Nuffield scholarship which I was very fortunate to be awarded in 2014.
"I learnt the importance of networking in business and making contacts that can help you on a daily basis. Our study tour to Brussels when we learnt so much about the EU’s agriculture policy making processes was one of many highlights. I met some brilliant people, all from different backgrounds and many were at different stages of their lives. They have become firm friends who I trust and whose opinions I respect, and I actually now work with other people who I met through the Academy,” said Gail.
Director of Rural Programmes with Menter a Busnes, Eirwen Williams explained that the Agri Academy’s format of three short but intensive study periods, usually over a weekend, now has a fantastic track record of paving the way to business success for its alumni, with many crediting the action-packed programme of skills and media training, business mentoring, study visits, support and guidance with their current success as well as ambitious plans for the future.
Applications for this year’s Agri Academy must be submitted by the closing date of 1 April 2016. For more information on all three Academy programmes, eligibility, study period dates and locations and to download application forms, visit the Agri Academy page.