Work Start Rural Skills: opening green career pathways for supported learners
The programme uses the outdoors as a classroom, combining conservation, countryside skills, employability, construction, ICT and community volunteering. Learners gain confidence, practical skills and awareness of green careers including peatland restoration, countryside management and sustainable land-based work. Partnerships with organisations including Scottish Land and Estates, The Conservation Volunteers, Brucefield Estate, local community groups and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park create authentic experiences and progression routes. The programme improves inclusion by moving beyond classroom-based delivery, widening participation in sustainability careers, strengthening community benefit, and helping learners see themselves as capable contributors to environmental action and future employment.
Top 3 learnings
- We learned experiential outdoor learning is more engaging for supported learners.
- We learned sustainability careers make sense when learners experience them directly.
- We learned staff enthusiasm grows when innovation supports their own CPD.
What would it mean to your institution to win a Green Gown Award?
Winning this award would be a powerful recognition of the college’s commitment to inclusive, community-centred sustainability. It would validate an approach that places learners with additional support needs at the heart of green skills development and demonstrates that widening access is essential to a just transition. The award would enhance the college’s profile nationally, strengthen partnerships, and reinforce its credibility as a leader in innovative, equitable curriculum design. It would also inspire further growth, enabling the model to scale and influence wider practice across the sector while continuing to deliver meaningful environmental, social and employability outcomes for learners and communities.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
| 16 July 2026 | |
| EAUC |
