History of Agricultural Education in Wiltshire - Lackham Countryside ...

CHAPTER XVII
AGRICULTURAL TRAINING IN WILTSHIRE
by J Alexander, Agricultural Training Board
Although the Agricultural Training Board was set up in 1966 as a national body
under the terms of the 1964 Industrial Training Act, it might be appropriate,
before entering into details of the comparatively short history of its activities in
the county, to recall the operations of the National Agricultural Apprenticeship
scheme. This in many ways preceeded the Board and was, for all practical
purposes, taken over by it.
The Agricultural Apprenticeship Council's scheme was launched in 1953 -very much
along the lines of apprenticeship schemes for other industries. Its funds and
resources were extremely limited and at county level. The Council relied almost
entirely on voluntary help from public spirited people and the goodwill of the local
representatives of N.A.A.S., L..E.A., N.F.U., N.U.A.A.W. and the Youth Employment
Service, who were formed into local committees. In Wiltshire, a committee was
formed in 1953 under the chairmanship of Mr E F Boulton of Hannington, with Mr
W Case of Bowerchalke as Secretary and administered by the then Secretary of
the County Wages Committee based in Bath. Shortly afterwards the
administration was moved to Trowbridge and thence to N.A.A.S. county offices at
Devizes. Mr Boulton and Mr Case continued as Chairman and Secretary
alternatively, until the County Apprenticeship Committee's administration was
taken over by the A.T.B. in 1968, when Mr Y W York-King of Edington assumed the
Chairmanship. The Committee continued until 1971, when it was agreed to hand over
its responsibilities to the local Area Training Committee of the Board, as
recommended by the Agricultural Apprenticeship Council. In that year, the A.T.B.
launched the New Entrant Training Scheme, to supercede the Apprenticeship
Scheme, which was wound up. The New Entrant Training Scheme, is in practice,
broadly similar to the old Apprenticeship Scheme, as revised in 1961.
In 1961 the Agricultural Apprenticeship Council had revised its scheme and
introduced a feature, which was to have considerable implications later, namely the
taking by apprentices of Proficiency Tests which, if successfully completed,
qualified the candidate for a wage premium under the Wages Act. The tests
selected were those of the Young Farmers' Movement, to be administered by the
local test committees of that organisation.
It was hoped that this move would give a greater incentive to young people entering
agriculture to undertake more formal training than had been the case, but
unfortunately in most counties, including Wiltshire, it did not have the desired
effect. Most employers in Wiltshire were paying in excess of the basic rate
anyway. Adequate resources to carry out tests at a local level did not exist in the