Skills Needed

Changing Skills Demands

Current Employment Trends

It is predicted that there will by an estimated decrease of 300 in numbers employed 2001-06. Business numbers are expected to remain static 2001 to 2006.

It is also important to assess the likely 'job opportunities' created through the need to replace people who retire, change career, as well as any net demand created through employment expansion. Even where employment is declining overall, net occupational demand can still generate a significant number of 'job opportunities' and therefore related training requirements.

Future Skill Needs

Formal training (with certification) is reported to be increasingly paramount for those working in the forestry industry, driven by regulatory requirements, mechanisation, the use of ICT and the need for business skills over the next few years. The increase in harvesting volume will generate a demand for establishment and maintenance skills. Specific training needs are in harvesting operations, where there is believed to be a shortage of skilled machine operators and foremen. Other areas of need include risk assessment, contract management, job planning and costing, and knowledge of woodland grant schemes. Generic skills such as communication and information technology are also required to ensure cohesion between all the sectors in the wood supply chain.

Skills Supply - Education and Training

(source: Lantra)

Current provision

The forestry industry is relatively small and spread widely across the UK. Some colleges offer courses in forestry and/or arboriculture (usually in combination with another subject such as agriculture) and the industry is supported by many skilled staff trained by the Forestry Commission. The industry's previous reliance on recruitment of technically skilled Forest Enterprise staff is now exhausted as Forestry Commission staff direct employment has fallen. The Forestry and Arboriculture Safety Training Council (FASTCO) maintains occupational standards and makes them available to all workers.

Qualifications

There are currently 127 qualifications available to the forestry and arboriculture industries mostly in FC/FD, NC/ND and HNC/HND provision. The most used qualification is the SQA NC Forestry/Timber Production at notional level 3. The least used qualifications include a number of NVQ/SVQs as well as the Edexcel and SQA HNC/HNDs. The NVQ/SVQs will be revised as part of the standards review and the Edexcel and City and Guilds provision is all being rationalised over the next year. As well as removal and revision of qualifications Edexcel will be introducing a FC and FD in Countryside and Forestry and a NC and ND in Forestry and Arboriculture. Once all the changes have been made there will be no obvious gaps in provision for the industry.

Estimated Required Workforce Skill Levels Compared to Estimated Workforce Qualifications

There is a lack of qualified people at NVQ/SVQ level 3 and above. It is possible that many workers with low/no qualifications have considerable skills at higher levels although not evidenced by formal qualifications.

Vacancies and Recruitment Difficulties (External Skill Shortages)

Only 16% of forestry businesses surveyed by Lantra reported a current vacancy, but 36% a recruitment difficulty over the past 12 months. 63% reported difficulties recruiting unskilled workers. Reasons for recruitment difficulty were reported as:

Lack of applicants with required qualifications and skills - 15%
Lack of applicants with required work experience - 22%
Lack of interest in this type of work- 20%
General lack of applicants - 16%

Internal Skill Gaps

29% of forestry businesses reported a skills gap within their workforce. Business respondents associated their most significant skills gaps with employees from the more highly skilled occupations, see below:

Owner-managers - 33%
Supervisors - 10%
Sales and Administration -3%
Skilled staff - 40%
Semi/unskilled staff - 12%

The most significant skills gaps were job specific skills, basic information technology and showing initiative.

skills needed

Alongside planting and felling trees forestry workers do fencing, drainage, etc

Some of the qualities you need are:

Work out of doors in all weathers
Be fit and strong
Flexible working - weekends and unsocial hours. Long hours in summer and shorter in winter
Flexible about the sort of work you are asked to do
Be able to work as part of team
Get on with different types of people
Handle difficult people and situations
Be able to work under pressure
Work on your own
Take responsibility
Work with machinery
Be careful and responsible - the work is highly dangerous

If you decide to work with the public in some way, for example being a warden for a national park or a forest officer, you should also enjoy meeting people and be able to communicate well. More jobs these days require you to use new technology, from computers to mobile 'phones.

Some jobs will only be available to self-employed contractors, so if you want to run your own business you will need all the qualities above especially working under pressure, organisational skills and handling difficult situations and people! But you will also need experience of:

Marketing / promotions
Financial management
Customer service
Staff recruitment, selection and management, and employment law
Organisational skills

Many of skills can be gained through short courses at your local college or the industry training bodies mentioned below. Trade associations can also advise on some of these issues.