DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAYS BARONY STUDENTS CELEBRATE SUCCESS AT PRESTIGIOUS TRAINING AWARDS

An engineering apprentice from Tiree and a trainee tree surgeon from Glenrothes, both students at the Barony campus of Scotland’s Rural College outside Dumfries, celebrated two award wins at Lantra Scotland’s Land-based and Aquaculture Learner of the Year Awards ceremony, held at Dunblane Hydro on Thursday 5 March, and hosted by celebrity chef Nick Nairn.
Lantra is the sector skills council for land-based and environmental industries, working to ensure rural businesses access the training, qualifications, skills and knowledge they need.
Declan Brown (19) of Glenrothes, enrolled on the SVQ 2 in Arboriculture, won a prestigious CARAS award. The Council for Awards of Royal Agricultural Societies’ (CARAS) recognise individuals who demonstrate innovation, skills and determination within the sector and encourage others to reach the full potential. Declan works with Fife Council in a squad with four others employees where he cuts down trees within the local community.
Winning the ‘Land-based Engineering Learner of the Year’ award was Fraser Maclean (22), from the Isle of Tiree, who completed his Modern Apprenticeship with CAM Engineering in Castle Douglas and SRUC Barony, which then led onto a full time position for him there.
Commenting after his award win, Fraser said:
“I am delighted to be the Land-Based Engineering Learner of the Year. I would like to thank both the Barony Engineering staff and CAM Engineering, my employer, for all the support and encouragement throughout my apprenticeship.
“The highlight of my career was getting a full time job after completing my apprenticeship at CAM Engineering where I have gained a lot of experience and get a wide variety of machines to work on”.
SRUC Assistant Principal of Further Education, David James congratulated the students:
“It is a real pleasure that the quality of our learners has been recognised in the Lantra Awards. SRUC winners are part of the future of the sector and we believe that they will be an asset to the development of their local economies and their communities.”
The two Barony campus students joined five others from SRUC’s Oatridge campus at Broxburn, just outside Edinburgh.
Ruairidh Mackinnon (19) from Oban won ‘Agriculture Learner of the Year’, having completed an SVQ Level 3 (Modern Apprenticeship) in Agriculture, progressed to study for an HNC in Agriculture at SRUC’s Ayr Campus, with the potential of an eventual degree. Ruairidh also received a prestigious CARAS award.
Stirling’s Ryan Walker (21) won the ‘Fisheries Management and Environmental Conservation Learner of the Year’ category – he is completing a SVQ in Environmental Conservation with Stirling Council. Also from Stirling Ryan Binnie (18), was recognised as runner-up in this category; he is currently studying a SVQ in Countryside Conservation while working with Stirling Council.
Engineer Iain MacNaughton (21), from Cumbernauld, was runner-up in the ‘Land-based Service Engineering Learner of the Year’ as he completes a Modern Apprenticeship Level 3 while working at Thistle Groundcare Equipment in Lanarkshire.
Finally Ewan Lambie (18) from Auchterarder was awarded ‘Higher Education Learner of the Year’, and recognised with a prestigious CARAS award. Ewan will shortly complete his studies at SRUC Oatridge.
Barony and Oatridge contribute to the range of land-based courses SRUC offers at different levels, from Access courses up to degrees and postgraduate studies across six campuses. A number of our subject areas offer progression routes right through these levels of study.