Delivery team in place for Cumbria's Land and Nature Skills Service (LANSS)
Megan Bartlett and Geneve Brand have been appointed as Communications and Engagement specialists for the Land and Nature Skills Service (LANSS). Joining LANSS Manager, Tracey Jackson, the LANSS Delivery Team is now complete.
After completing an MRes in Marine Ecosystems and Governance, Megan (LANSS Communication & Engagement Facilitator) moved back home to the Lake District where she worked as a Divemaster and an independent researcher while also volunteering with local conservation groups. Following her own struggle to find opportunities in Cumbria, Megan is very keen to develop the LANSS service to help people find the skills, training and careers available within Cumbria.
Geneve (LANSS Communications & Engagement Lead) lives in South Cumbria, and having relocated to the Lake District with her husband to enjoy the outdoor lifestyle, she is passionate about land and nature conservation in Cumbria. With a background in teaching and most recently as a Comms & Engagement Officer for Natural England based in Kendal, Geneve brings a range of skills and experience to the new team.
Geneve said: "I feel privileged to be a part of the new LANSS team and am excited to get started on setting up this new project. LANSS has already received fantastic support from across the rural sector, and the support and collaboration from education, business, non-profit organisations and the public sector is outstanding. LANSS is funded through a range of sources including significant grant funding from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme
"Led by LANSS Manager, Tracey Jackson, Tracey explained that we are in an exciting stage of developing the LANSS with the branding and website currently being worked on, which we hope to have in place by July, with a formal launch of the service in early September 2024."
Suzanne Caldwell, MD, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce and Board Member and partner for LANSS, who are the host employer said: "It’s great to see the project coming to fruition, as it has been three years in the planning, and we are thrilled that the LANSS Delivery Team is now in place."
In addition to the Chamber the governing board running LANSS includes the University of Cumbria, who will provide a base for the LANSS team in Low Nook, on their Ambleside Campus; The Farmer Network, who will work closely with the team and Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Westmorland & Furness Council, Cumberland Council and the North Pennines Natural Landscape.
LANSS aims to connect people with learning and training opportunities, facilitating the development of skills provision to meet learner and employer needs and promote land and nature based jobs in Cumbria.
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Notes to editors
Notes for Editors
For any queries please contact Suzanne Caldwell, 07825 050 298 or suzanne@cumbriachamber.co.uk or Tracey Jackson, 07920656963 tracey@lanss.uk
- Functions of the LANSS will include coordinating and communicating relevant training opportunities and promoting skilled careers in this sector, which includes farming, forestry and conservation. The service will benefit local people, businesses and training providers and celebrate the varied local opportunities in land- and nature-based work: important jobs for Cumbria’s economy, communities and landscape.
- The new service will include a comprehensive online directory of training opportunities, in-person advice on skill development pathways, and a service team hosted at University of Cumbria’s Ambleside campus. Those using the service may be employed or self-employed in the land and nature workforce or looking to move into these careers, they may also be volunteers and people seeking lifelong learning opportunities. The service will engage directly with schools and colleges, and with disadvantaged groups and communities which are underrepresented in the sector.
- With thanks to Esmée Fairbairn Foundation for their major grant to implement the service and for funding the prior development work; thanks to Defra’s Funding in Protected Landscape Programme (FiPL), Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, Westmorland & Furness Council, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, University of Cumbria, Skills Hub Cumbria, Department for Education and Ernest Cook Trust for funding granted or pledged;
- Thanks to Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, University of Cumbria, The Farmer Network, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, North Pennines National Landscape Partnership, Cumberland Council and Westmorland & Furness Council for in-kind contributions and leadership in the present phase of work; and thanks to Food, Farming & Countryside Commission for coordinating the service design and local facilitation.
- North Pennines National Landscape Partnership represents the Protected Areas in Cumbria on the Governing Board.