Agriculture covers some 80% of the North West’s land area with top quality agricultural land (grades 1 and 2) covering 7% of the region.

The total regional land-based workforce is an estimated 82,458, in approximately 14,000 businesses operating wholly or principally in the land-based sector.  The largest industries within the region include: agricultural livestock (43.7% of businesses and 33.3% of employees).  Other industries of regional significance in terms of employment include: landscaping (25.3%); production horticulture (11.4%); environmental conservation (5.4%); and agricultural crops (4.7%).

Key statistics on the region:

• 90% of businesses employ less than 10 people or no staff
• 54% of the workforce are staff, 46% are proprietors
• 44.3% of the workforce are aged 25-44 years  (compared to 48% in all sectors)
• 44.1% aged over 45 years (compared to 36.9% in all sectors)
• 65.2% of the workforce are male (compared to 53.1% in all sectors)
• most common annual business turnover is £100,000
• 7.7% of businesses report vacancies
• hard-to-fill and skills shortage vacancies are low
• 2.7% of businesses report skills gaps
• 0.3% of the workforce currently have skills gaps
• 7.7% of all establishments report vacancies, hard-to-fill and skills shortage vacancies are too low to report
• 0.3% of the workforce have skills gaps

Businesses in the region need the following skills: numeracy (86.7%); literacy (85.3%); and communication skills (83.1%).  In the future, all skills will be required to a high level, with the exception of technical skills which will be required at an advanced level.  Planning and organisation skills currently has the greatest requirement at an intermediate level

Education and training providers in the region offer both full-time and part-time learning, work-based learning, technical skill development and continuing professional development.  42.2% of establishments report that general training courses are available to the workforce.  Of those establishments that access training courses, 21.2% report qualification courses, 51.7% use certificated training, and 24.1% use un-certificated training courses.

In 2003/04, there were 1,046 enrolments on environmental and land-based sector related higher education courses.  Animal care courses have increased by 4%, and equine a 1% increase.  Production horticulture has seen a decrease of 2% in enrolments from 2002/2003.  Agricultural livestock enrolments have also decreased by 4%. 

Key drivers in the region are similar to those nationally.  However, the rising concerns with safety, traceability and environment protection will be a particular driver for the North West as it has many local produce marques.  These concerns will increase the need to develop a new economy creating niche markets and ways of differentiating produce requiring a workforce with new skills.

Source: Lantra North West Region Consultation 2005 and Sector Skills Agreement Stage 1: Annex 2.6 2005

For data on regional workforce by industry see:

Distribution of Lantra workforce and businesses in the North West, 2005