Trainees mark success in Lantra awards
Ryan Taylor
Three trainees have triumphed at Lantra Scotland Albas awards – the awards for land-based and aquaculture skills.
Katrina Coutts from Wethersta in Brae won a Higher Education Award at HND level, and was also one of three people to win a prestigious Council for Awards of Agricultural Societies award (Caras).
Ms Coutts has completed her HND in Agriculture at SRUC Oatridge while working as a livestock yardsman for Shetland Livestock Marketing Group.
“What an honour to win two Albas awards,” she said. “Big thanks to Lantra Scotland, my employers at Shetland Livestock Marketing and the Leslie family at Laxfirth Farm for showing faith in me and Joy Miller, my tutor at SRUC Oatridge for nominating me.”
Also celebrating is Spencer Johnson, who was runner-up in the Land-based Engineering Learner of the Year category.
Mr Johnson is doing his modern apprenticeship in Land-based Engineering at SRUC Oatridge and Shetland UHI while working as an apprentice engineer at Braewick Agricultural Services in Eshaness.
And Stuart Lavender from Mossbank was runner-up for Aquaculture Learner of the Year.
He has completed his Modern Apprenticeship in Aquaculture at UHI Shetland while working as a site assistant at Cooke Aquaculture.
Over 200 finalists, event supporters, employers, training providers and industry leaders attended a glittering award ceremony at the Crieff Hydro Hotel, including Jim Fairlie MSP, minister for
agriculture and connectivity.
