His Majesty The King opens the MacRobert Farming and Rural Skills Centre at Dumfries House

His Majesty The King today officially opened The MacRobert Farming and Rural Skills Centre at Dumfries House.

Run by The King’s Foundation, the new multi-million-pound training base in East Ayrshire will bring new talent into the farming and rural sector by providing training opportunities, often for those with no current connection to the industry. It will also offer upskilling for those already working in the sector, and will bring current practitioners from across the UK together to share their skills and knowledge.

During the event, His Majesty toured the state-of-the-art facilities while hearing about how the centre for excellence will provide invaluable hands-on experience for students looking to get their start in the industry. The King met with students, staff and local farmers before observing workshops on the importance of good soil health for the environment, nutrition in animal feed, and sheep and cattle handling.

Featuring two indoor teaching spaces including facilities for laboratory work and a working barn, the facility will enable students to engage in practical real-life scenarios and animal handling during day visits and residential courses. The centre will enable The King’s Foundation to host events and hands-on workshops for more than 1,800 participants a year, including adults looking for new careers, school leavers showing an interest in land-based jobs, and secondary school pupils. They will learn all about the industry skills, policies and practices that make British farming efficient and beneficial. The courses will be complemented by an online offering to ensure a diverse range of participants from all over the UK are inspired to consider rural careers, and are provided with pathways to higher level qualifications and specialisms.

The centre has been generously funded by The MacRobert Trust, a grant-making charity based in Aberdeenshire which is inspired by the vision of its benefactor Lady MacRobert who believed that young people can achieve great things, no matter their backgrounds.