Peatland ACTION - Training and skills for restoration design

We and our partners have delivered a number of specialist training courses and events outdoors designed to improve and aid understanding of peatland habitats and how to restore them.

Last year’s course included:

• Bog Plant ID training
• Construction (Design and Management) Regulations
• Peat Landslide Risk Assessment
• Site visits to restored and unrestored sites including Ben Wyvis, Strathvaich and Urlar

In 2024 we are planning a number of further training events and will include

• Hydrology training
• Forest to Bog
• Bare peat restoration
• Water vole and other mammals and how to consider them in restoration planning
• Reptiles on Peatlands
• More site visits to active and restored sites

If you would be interested in signing up to our mailing list we can let you know when future courses become available that you can sign up for. Contact [email protected]

Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), supported by Peatland ACTION, have introduced a new Peatland Assessment and Restoration course, which will be delivered from SRUC’s Barony campus near Dumfries. It will provide an overview of peatland ecology and hydrology and an understanding of the causes of peatland degradation and will allow candidates to develop expertise in mapping and surveying peatland, before designing effective interventions for the restoration of the site.

It covers all stages of planning, funding and delivering a restoration scheme as well as all stages of planning, funding and delivering a restoration scheme during the short course.

Duration: 10 day course delivered over two, one-week blocks with some online learning between blocks.

Dates:
23-27 September and 11-14 November 2024
7-11 October and 25-29 November 2024

For more information or to register please contact [email protected]

The Peatland Training Fund has been established and funded by NatureScot Peatland ACTION to support the development of a skilled workforce across the expanding peatland restoration sector in Scotland.

The Peatland Training Fund

• is a collaboration between NatureScot Peatland ACTION and Lantra Scotland hosted through the Skills Hub Scotland platform, which will help make relevant training more visible and accessible
• offers financial support to residents of Scotland, over the age of 16 who are
  • already working in peatland restoration and keen to further develop their skills
  • interested in and working towards a role in peatland restoration.
• offers eligible applicants 50% funding up to £1000 per course for Peatland Training Fund badged courses. Eligible courses are being badged and hosted on Skills Hub Scotland.
• brings together commercially available training under the Peatland Training Fund badge. This includes training in plant and machinery operation (excavator, ATV/Argo) as well as skills in spatial data, ecological survey and use of drones.  As additional relevant training is identified, it will be added to the eligible courses list.

Peatland restoration learners

For those interested in applying for the Peatland Training Fund, you can see all the eligible courses though the Skills Hub Scotland course listings. 

Find all the information on the fund, including an FAQ section and details on how to apply to an eligible course on the dedicated Lantra Scotland Peatland Training Fund page.
 

Training course providers

If you are business or training provider that offers courses suitable for those seeking to enter the peatland restoration workforce or that supports early career development in this field, you could be listed as an eligible course under the Peatland Training Fund.

If you cover topics such as excavator training, outdoor first aid, basic field ecology or other skills which might be useful to peatland restoration roles, please get in touch with our team on [email protected] to be considered.