Rural Skills
Skills for Work Rural Skills provides a range of practical skills and basic knowledge relating to animals, land and the environment. The course runs over two years and is practical: most of your time will be spent at the croft and on related tasks.
When you complete the course you will be awarded a Skills for Work – Rural Skills award which is SQA accredited at SCQF Level 4.
Course Summary
Course Summary
This course is designed to give you a range of practical skills and to learn about jobs and industries in the land based sector. The course includes units introducing:
- Land-based Industries
- Estate Maintenance
- Employability Skills
- Animal Husbandry
- Animal Handling
Assessment in this course will be based on a range of practical activities carried out in a crofting environment and a portfolio of evidence which will be produced during the course.
The course provides:
- an introduction to the land-based sector
- opportunities to work with others
- experience of outdoor working
- opportunities to work with animals and plants
- awareness of health and safety
- practical skills and knowledge
- preparation for employment
Progression
Progression
Progression options when you have finished school may be qualifications in land-based industries e.g. modern apprenticeship in agriculture.
Information for Applicants
Information for Applicants
Course Time: Alternate Fridays over two years, 8.55am-2.00pm
For: S3 and S4 pupils
Applications are not made to UHI Shetland they are made directly to Aith School.
Click here to download the Application form Rural Skills 2026
Rural Skills Learn More
Rural Skills Learn More
There are five units we work on in Rural Skills in Aith. We are lucky to work with a local crofter, in Twatt, Bixter. We meet at the beginning of each session at the croft (transport will drop you off there) and carry out seasonal activities based on the time of year, the lifecycle of sheep and the weather. Personal protective equipment will be provided (and stored by the teacher).
Croftwork will take up approximately the first 2 hours of the day, then we will head back into Aith for the rest of each session. We have access to the Aith church as our base, and we will work on written work, team work and research to complete the Rural skills course, as well as having time for break/lunch. Then your transport will pick you up from the Aith church to return home.
Animal Handling – assisting in caain’ in sheep, restraining sheep, presenting sheep for examination in a stress free and safe way.
Animal Husbandry – assisting in the environment for sheep, their accommodation, feeding and watering.
Estate Maintenance – different tasks like ditching, fence/dyke repairs, path maintenance, tree planting.
Employability skills – self reflection on your own attendance and time-keeping; planning and preparation for work; working with others; awareness of efficient use of resources and materials; following instruction from supervisor and safety awareness. You will reflect on where you are and then we will go back to this a few times throughout the 5 terms to see where you have improved over the time of the course.
Land based industries – we will research different industries within the Land sector – mainly using Lantra Scotland as a source of information, but also using other information sources to help us. We have in the past been for a visit to the Marts to see about the different job opportunities available there.
