Would be gamekeepers are flocking to join apprenticeships designed to equip them for working on Scotland's grouse moors, according to leading rural colleges.
Some courses are attracting three applicants for every place as colleges experience strong demand from sporting estates for qualified gamekeepers and modern apprenticeships.
David Olds, a lecturer from North Highland College, said courses offer a combination of college-based training and experience on working estates, while students get a nationally recognised qualification and keep abreast of the latest legislation, he said.
Mr Olds added: “We have worked tirelessly on promoting a better understanding of the role modern gamekeepers play and feedback from estate owners is that the skills obtained by our students are an essential part of equipping the next generation of gamekeepers to manage our countryside.”
Jim Goodlad, gamekeeping and wildlife management lecturer at SRUC Elmwood, said: “It is imperative that the modern gamekeeper of the 21st century is a highly-trained professional possessing an accomplished skill set combining theory with hands-on experience. Having received more than 70 applications for 20 places, we are fully subscribed for the new term.”
Savio Genini, 19, has been working on Pitmain Estate, part of the Speyside Moorland Group, as a modern apprentice since 2013 with day to day duties including land management, working to protect habitats, managing deer numbers and preventing disease in the many species which thrive on the estate.
He said: “I am passionate about gamekeeping and the work that gamekeepers do in their local communities. There has been a big change in the way that gamekeepers are perceived recently."
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