Free advice · England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Introduction to Farming and Rural Skills (free course)
A free seven-week City and Guilds farming and rural skills course, including a two-week farm placement, for people wanting to get into farming.
- From
- The King's Foundation (Dumfries House, Ayrshire)
- How much
- Free, including local transport and farm PPE.
- Who can apply
- Adults 18 and over: career changers, college leavers, jobseekers and people with little farming experience. You must live in Scotland for the course.
What you’ll need
- Somewhere to stay near Cumnock, Ayrshire during the course
How to apply
- Sign up to the King's Foundation newsletter for future dates
- Apply when the next intake is listed
- Attend an interview
The October to November 2026 intake has closed; future dates not yet listed. Accommodation isn't provided.
Similar schemes
- CAFRE Business Sustainability Groups OpenCAFRE (College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise), part of DAERAEnterprise-specific farmer groups led by a CAFRE adviser, with benchmarking, analytical testing and one-to-one support on economic and environmental sustainability.
- CAFRE advisers, benchmarking and technical support Open all yearCAFRE (College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise), part of DAERACAFRE (part of DAERA) supports farmers through industry training, knowledge and technology transfer, benchmarking and business development planning, with technical pages and calculators for each sector.
- Farm Advisory Service: free advice line, events and guides Open all yearFarm Advisory Service (SAC Consulting and Ricardo for the Scottish Government)Free phone and email advice, events, guides and podcasts on farm business, compliance, the Whole Farm Plan, crofting, climate and nature.
- Farm Liaison Service and RPW digital assistance Open all yearWelsh GovernmentFree Welsh Government help with scheme rules, RPW Online, the SFS Universal Dashboard, record keeping and other farming policy questions.
- Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) Open all yearFarm Safety FoundationFree farm safety and mental health resources and training aimed at farmers under 40.
- Farming Advice Service (FAS) Open all yearDefraFree, confidential phone and email advice on farming rules and business.
Checked against the official pages on 29 October 2026. Sources: 1. Always read the official page before you apply.