Farmers of the Future: Addressing the Skills Gap in Agriculture

Investing in maintenance and lubrication skills is key to ensuring the success of agricultural operations for future generations of farmers.

Recruitment and retention are increasing challenges for the agricultural sector, with the European agricultural workforce expected to decline by 28 per cent between 2017 and 2030¹.

So how can employers address the skills gap in agriculture to safeguard a future farming generation?

Agricultural roles have often been written off as difficult, low skilled and low paid work. But the digital transformation of the sector in fact calls for a tech-savvy, highly skilled workforce, as confident with spreadsheets as they are with soil sampling.

According to our industry research²:

• almost half of farming businesses admit they are facing a lack of expertise and training
• nearly three quarters think inadequate staff expertise plays a role in breakdowns²

Though a lack of training and expertise may exist, a key industry opportunity is Generation Z – a young demographic with a thirst for knowledge.

To secure the farmers of the future, employers in agriculture need to adopt new and exciting ways to engage and then train potential employees.

To help this process along, Shell Lubricant Solutions is supporting knowledge exchange, by offering the latest training services.

Shell LubeCoach provides tailored training to help staff ensure equipment is properly maintained. And course content is modular, meaning farm owners can choose what is covered by staff, and whether it’s done in-person or online.

Because, as emerging innovations necessitate new skills, the future success of agricultural operations depends on:

• getting the most out of machinery
• investing in skills around maintenance and lubrication
• optimising farming productivity and efficiency.

¹ _{EU Agricultural Outlook: European Agricultural Labour and Total Income Expected to Decrease by 2030’, European Commission, 19 December, 2017 (https://ec.europa.eu/info/news/eu-agricultural-outlook-european-agricultural-labour-and-total-income-expected-to-decrease-by-2030_en).}

² _{‘Agriculture: Global Report Powering Peak Performance’, Edelman Intelligence, and Shell, May 2018}