November 01, 2024 - 245 views
£280,000 is being invested in a new forestry-related skills and training fund by the Welsh Government, with the aim of growing the workforce and providing strong roots for the industry to bloom.
The Forestry and Timber Skills fund, which opens today, forms part of Wales’ efforts to future-proof the workforce and provide a pathway to a career in forestry – an industry who’s ageing workforce has led to concerns of a UK shortage over the coming years.
The fund is part of the Welsh Government’s Flexible Skills Programme and will support businesses to address skills gaps within their workforce by subsidising places on accredited forestry and timber supply chain courses, with up to £20,000 available per organisation.
In an England and Wales study of forestry businesses in 2021, respondents listed lack of skills as the main reason for unfilled vacancies.
With more skilled workers needed to meet woodland creation targets and expand the production of quality Welsh timber to fulfil the growing demand for low carbon timber-framed social homes, the Welsh Government has acted quickly to help address the issue.
The Minister for Skills, Jack Sargeant, said: "Foresters, arborists and those who process and work with timber are the original green jobs. But we need more of them. We are expecting demand for timber globally to quadruple by 2050. It’s vital that we expand our skilled forestry sector both to meet that demand and to achieve net zero targets.
"The fund will also support skills development to increase use of timber in construction which, in contrast to forestry, is a relatively new sector where formal skills and training have not been previously available."
