Animals, Land and Environment

For jobs in this career area it helps to have an interest in the natural world. Most of the jobs appeal to those interested in:

• animal care
• the countryside
• planting and landscaping
• the environment.

We've split the jobs and courses in this career area into 8 sectors:

• Agriculture
• Arboriculture and horticulture
• Aquaculture and fishing
• Earth and environmental sciences
• Environmental and rural resource management
• Forestry
• Veterinary work
• Work with animals.

In most cases, prospects depend on where you live, or are prepared to live, as well as on the type of work you do and your qualifications. There isn't much forestry work in the central belt of Scotland! Job prospects in this career area vary considerably in the different sectors. Growing awareness of climate change and the need for sustainable development will create opportunities for young recruits with transferable skills. Taking into account the number of workers that could retire, it is forecast that the sector may need up to 30,000 more people by 2020. There is an estimated 152,300 workers in the land based and environmental sector, 52% of these are self-employed. There are 28,280 businesses, 96% of which employ 10 people or less. The largest industry is agricultural crops and livestock, accounting for 51% of businesses in the sector. The aquaculture, fisheries management, trees and timber, game and wildlife management industries are more dominant in Scotland than in the rest of the UK. Forestry is a small but important sector in Scotland employing around 40,000 people. Almost a third of forestry jobs in Scotland are in the Highlands and Islands. Half of the UK’s forests are in Scotland, covering 17% of Scotland’s land area, but the Scottish Government wants to increase this to 25% by 2050. There are some 4,200 people working in aquaculture, mainly in the production of salmon, with a further 2,600 working in fisheries management. This is an increase of 1,500 and 2,050 respectively since Lantra’s 2010-2011 figures. The sea fishing industry especially has suffered in recent years due to catch quotas, and other strategies to manage fish stocks. At the end of 2012, the number of fishermen employed on Scottish based vessels was 4,747, 249 less, a 5% decrease, on 2011 figures. Job prospects for vets are good. Openings in other jobs working with animals are more limited and there are usually more applicants than jobs. It will really help your chances if you do voluntary work with animals and try to get related work experience.

You can get into some jobs in this career area with few or no qualifications. Other things are more important, like being reliable, prepared to work hard and get up early. Ask any farm worker. For other jobs you'll need a degree, and even postgraduate qualifications. This includes the science based jobs like veterinary surgeon, geologist and meteorologist. Many, like veterinary nursing, will need a good group of qualifications at Standard grade or National 4 or 5, and involve doing further study and training. There are courses at many levels in agriculture, horticulture and rural resource management. They range from Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) to Higher National Certificate (HNC) and Higher National Diploma (HND) and degree level. Work experience is particularly important for many of the jobs in this career area, especially in working with animals and farming.

Sources

Forest and Timber Industries in Scotland (Scottish Enterprise website - www.scottish-enterprise.com)

Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 2012, National Statistics

Scotland Fact Sheet 2012-2013, Lantra (Sector Skills Council for the Environmental and Land-based Industries)

Lantra, Career Opportunities in the land-based and environmental industries

Lantra has a career website at http://www.lantra.co.uk/careers.

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