This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 11th September 2025.
The whole rural profession is very busy. Much of the old work continues, joined by the expanding areas of new work while modern communications and demand for process seem to mean all takes longer. We have more Fellows than we have ever had, more probationers than we have ever had and still look for more to meet the work now and for the future of members’ practices and the collective profession.
In the way of a practical profession, we have set our hand to delivering our own answer. The CAAV has been working with a group of employers and universities to develop Route to Rural as a campaign, common across the profession, to bring members’ work and the CAAV to the attention of as wide an audience as possible, from sixth formers in rural areas but also urban ones to students on other courses and those looking for a second career – all potential sectors for recruitment. Building on initial work last autumn, we are bringing this together for this autumn and, more specifically, focused on the week of October 20th – the Route to Rural Week.
It is in everybody’s mutual interest that we work together to attract more good people. It gives a larger pool for all our university courses and then a larger pool for all employers of all types. All members and their organisations can help themselves and whole profession by working with this campaign this autumn - and beyond.
The CAAV has been preparing materials from social media and videos to banners and QR codes, with much brought together in the Route to Rural pages of the website – click through from the button in the box on the home page. We are working nationally to bring this to the attention of schools and developing more materials for social media.
We are bringing much of this work together with a Virtual Insight day run in webinar style on the morning of October 21st, with a series of introductions to the variety of areas of work that members do. Places on the day can be booked here for free and it will be available as a recording. We are grateful to those who have given time and effort to prepare this.
But this cannot just be work at the national level. Real traction and achievement will come with work on the ground by members and local associations.
It is local associations that can liaise with schools, local colleges, Young Farmers Clubs and more. They have had this letter from the Chairman of the CAAV’s Executive Committee. Local associations are steadily appointing Route to Rural officers to channel this work, supported by the materials prepared by the CAAV as well as this this guidance.
It is members who can offer work experience, go into schools for careers evenings and other activity. Most particularly, firms can offer work experience or their own insight days. Actually seeing what we do will explain it better than any literature. Moreover, employers in areas where it is harder to recruit can use this to attract local people who, finding it interesting, can become future staff. We are supporting this:
- by guidance on the website
- asking employers to let us know of their planned work experience so that we can include it on a register on the website for those interested to see – a form for this is here
- a briefing note to give afterwards explaining the next steps
as well as by sharing social media activity.
We are pleased to see positive news. The new course for the profession at Plumpton College in Sussex has now started, blending work and study in an accelerated degree. The number of degree apprentices at Harper Adams continues to grow. The Times and the BBC report on increased land management numbers at the RAU, ascribed to the benefit of the wider reach given by Jeremy Clarkson and Charlie Ireland, a Fellow.
That shows that by working together we can reach further to attract more people and build the future of the profession as clients face more and new challenges needing that greater and broader support. We look to all members who can to help take Route to Rural forward and show new people that our profession is one they can thrive in. We make our own future.