Scots skills app SkillSeeder has started listing climate training courses to help the rural sector learn how to mitigate future effects.

The information will support individuals taking part in climate change training courses, with courses eligible for the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Practical Training Fund found through the SkillSeeder app and website.

The fund looks to support the rural sector to reduce their carbon footprint and improve the sustainability of their business.

Worth £250,000, the funding will support the rural sector to improve skills in relation to mitigating and adapting to future climate change problems.

The fund will also provide £500 or more per person towards the cost of a green training course. Forestry, land management, conservation on farm and sustainable food production are just some of the courses which will be eligible for funding.

A Climate Change Fund Badge will be placed next to any relevant courses listed on SkillSeeder, helping interested individuals to find the training and funding they need to upskill.

Commenting on the Climate Change Fund Badge, James Ritchie from SkillSeeder said: “With the Scottish Government investing more and more in skills training, it is an exciting time for SkillSeeder to be further developing the platform.

“A first for the land-based training industry, we are delighted to be able to bring climate change training into one place making it easy for skill seekers to search for courses which will help them to improve their knowledge and skills in their communities.

“Climate Change mitigation training is essential for the green recovery and for people to have the skills needed for the new jobs that will be created. It has been recognised that undertaking these types of courses can sometimes be expensive, so the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Practical Training Fund will ensure that training courses are now available to more people.”

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A report released earlier this week by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that the impacts of global warming were now ‘irreversible’, and from now on humans can only mitigate its effects rather than stop it.

The authors of the report said that there is still a brief window of time to avoid the very worst, with more than 40% of the world’s population currently “highly vulnerable” to climate change.

Training in climate mitigation and adaptation is now a vital tool in combatting negative climate impact.

Dr Liz Barron-Majerik, Scotland Director of Lantra, commented on the funding: “I am delighted to be working with the Scottish Government and SkillSeeder on this exciting new initiative.

“Many of the land-based businesses that will be impacted by climate change are both small and rural, which brings associated logistical challenges. Even a minor change can be relatively high risk. So being able to find and access training, specific to the needs of the individual or business, is very important.

“SkillSeeder have done a great job of ‘badging’ courses so they are easier to find, and can add more as they become available.”

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