Pork – Skills and training

By providing individuals with the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills, we can help the industry develop professional, skilled and motivated staff.

Our training courses are open to pig unit staff across England. There are a range of ways for people to train and learn new skills at every level, from new stockpeople through to unit managers and business owners.

The training offers a logical progression of skills development, which helps with goal setting, career planning and advancement.

If you have questions about our training programmes, get in touch with your regional knowledge exchange manager or email: Pork.Training@ahdb.org.uk 

Principles of pig production

If you are new to pig keeping, or are a small-scale producer, our principles of pig production webinars are perfect for you.

Catch up on our series with Adrian Cox and Christina Huelsmann-Diamond from Farm Vets, focusing on the different stages of pork production.

Stockperson Development Scheme

A series of workshops, delivered by technical experts, covering each stage of pig production from service to sale.

This training focuses on basic knowledge and everyday tasks and is aimed at industry newcomers or those wanting to refresh their knowledge or learn about a different department.

The sessions are interactive and encourage the sharing of knowledge and practices.

Stockperson Plus

A programme of problem-solving workshops designed to build on existing pig husbandry knowledge.

This course naturally follows on from the Stockperson Development Scheme (SDS) to further develop the technical skills of pig unit staff.

Sessions are interactive, recapping on pig production covered in the SDS and uses problem-solving exercises, which are applied to virtual farm scenarios.

A wide range of organisations offer continuous professional development (CPD) for people wanting to progress through their career to become business directors and leaders.

A wide range of short video clips that demonstrate practical management techniques on farm.

Written, commentated and demonstrated by industry experts, we show stockpeople and managers how to complete important everyday tasks to help boost their pig production.

Everyone involved in the care, moving, and handling of pigs on farm needs to complete online welfare training as part of Red Tractor standards.

The training was developed by AHDB and the wider industry to ensure a consistent and high level of welfare across the pig industry and demonstrate to consumers that we are a responsible industry that takes the care and welfare of our livestock seriously.

It is also an excellent refresher tool for those experienced with handling pigs and a great way to upskill new entrants.

PigPro is an online recording system for training. The tool records the details of training and development for you and your staff.

It provides secure and easy access to training records to help you understand your businesses training needs but also gathers training evidence that’s needed by some assurance schemes.

The Trainee of the Year Award is part of Pig World magazine’s National Pig Awards and takes place in November each year. It’s open to all British pig unit employees. Nominations are welcomed from both experienced individuals and newcomers who have completed training to develop their skills and knowledge.

Nominees must show how training is benefiting both their career and livestock performance on their unit, which should be supported by unit performance data.

This award, which also includes a cash prize, provides a great opportunity for individuals to earn recognition for the training undertaken.  

Individuals can apply themselves or can be nominated.