Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) Oban-based apprentice craftsperson Hannah Thomson was announced as the winner of the Trees and Timber category at this year’s Lantra Scotland Awards for Land Based and Aquaculture skills.
Hannah has completed a Modern Apprenticeship in Trees and Timber through the Scottish School of Forestry at UHI Inverness while employed as a Craftsperson Modern Apprentice with FLS.
Following her apprenticeship, she has successfully secured a full-time role with the organisation.
Hannah said:
“I feel very privileged to be given an award for my dedication and love for forestry, alongside my two colleagues. I have always wanted to pursue a career working with trees and the apprenticeship has given me the foundation and skills to play an important role in protecting and sustainably managing Scotland’s forests for future generations.
“I hope to continue my career within FLS. I will continue to branch out and build my knowledge to enhance my woodland management and bring unique outlooks to the work I do in forest stewardship and helping timber production.”
Held during Scottish Apprenticeship Week, FLS had five of its apprentice craftspeople in contention for awards and all five were recognised as either winners or runners-up in a variety of categories.
Along with Hannah’s win, fellow apprentices Abi Skidgmore who did her apprenticeship in Durris and Dan Needham who is Torlundy-based were joint runners-up in the Trees and Timber category. Mechanical engineering apprentices Jack Ritchie and Liam Clive – both based at the FLS Bladnoch Workshop in Dumfries and Galloway – were joint runners-up in the Land Based Engineering category.
Apprenticeships continue to be a cornerstone of FLS’ success with young people from a wide range of backgrounds building rewarding careers in forestry.
FLS Learning and Development Manager Kirsty Russell said:
“At FLS we are incredibly proud of all our apprentices who make a significant contribution to the work we do. They show great dedication and benefit from the knowledge passed on by the staff guiding them through their apprenticeships.
“Forestry is a key rural industry which contributes around £1 billion annually to our economy while supporting biodiversity and helping to tackle climate change. So, it is important for us to be providing career opportunities to the next generation of foresters and related staff through our national forestry and land agency.”
