Held in partnership with RuRALink, the Military Rural Careers Insight Day (Sustainable Farming and Small Holding) took place at FarmED on August 22nd, during which FarmED Manager, Jonty Brunyee, signed the Defence Relationship Management (DRM) Armed Forces Covenant with Hon GP Capt Guy Austin from 601 Squadron - a commitment to proudly support those who serve or have served and their families.
The Military Rural Careers Insight Day was designed for Service families who want to explore a future life in sustainable farming and food, or want to start their own small holding.
The sessions included:
Matt Sheeran, Career Consultant from ‘After the Military’ - Why transitioning from a military to a civilian career can be difficult and top tips for success.
Jonty Brunyee, FarmED Manager - an introduction to farm business and enterprise planning.
Chris Nash, Assistant Manager at FarmED - Ag tech, drones and data in modern agriculture.
Fiona Galbraith, Director of RuRALink presented a selection of case studies of successful ex-forces people in farming and related employment.
There was also a farm walk and chance to explore soil health, biodiversity, beekeeping and market gardening.
‘The event was attended by people from a range of ranks and backgrounds at different stages in their career,’ said Fiona Galbraith. ‘Some have been developing their new career for a couple of years while others are getting ready to leave and exploring options. There were also service people and their spouses looking at the feasibility of setting up smallholdings. Everyone came to FarmED looking to be inspired.’
Captain Brodie Watson, a platoon commander at Sandhurst, described how the day was a first step on the journey towards a career in the land based sector. He said: ‘The best thing is sharing experiences with likeminded people.’ His wife, Daisy, added: ‘It’s been a fantastic day and we’ve learned a lot of options.’
‘Events like today are really important for people considering leaving the military,’ says career consultant Matt Sheeran. ‘They need to know what the sector is all about and this is a great opportunity.’
Jonty Brunyee: ‘We’re very much looking forward to working closely with RuRALink in the future, and to demonstrating our commitment to the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant in a variety of ways.’
These include:
Offering a discount to the FarmED Programme and wider services to all members of the Armed Forces Community.
Supporting those seeking access to land by offering advice and mentoring.
Offering support to our local cadet units, delivering environmental, farming and food skills sessions and inspiring events to suit their needs.
Striving to support the employment of Service spouses and partners by working with RuRALink and others to deliver career insight and networking events for Veterans and those transitioning out of the Services.
Striving to support the employment of Service spouses and partners by sharing any internal job opportunities directly with the Armed Forces Community.
‘I’m really looking forward to the continuing support FarmED will be giving to resettling military and veterans as they begin their new careers,’ concluded Fiona Galbraith. ‘Thanks to Jonathan Brunyee and Hon Gp Capt Guy Austin for your support to the military community as well as Ian Wilkinson, Christopher Nash, Sophie Wilkinson and Matthew Sheerin for making the day such a success.’
Find out more about the day in this short film: