A COLLEGE?which specialises in land-based activities has benefited from a cash boost of £50,000 to enable young people to progress into sustainable employment. Duchy College at Stoke Climsland, which has many pupils from Tavistock and all over West Devon, has successfully bid for the funding from the Prince's Countryside Fund, and will use it to continue the work of the Nurturing Excellence Project. The project sees the college working with a consortium of 22 food and farming sector employers across Cornwall and Devon, and aims to engage more than 1,300 young people in activities designed to progress individuals into local sustainable jobs within the food and farming industry. An industry seconded food business co-ordinator will co-ordinate four industry-focused programmes designed to equip young people with the skills, aptitudes and ambitions to meet local employer needs contributing to the sustainability of the rural community. Assistant principal at Duchy College Dr Phil Le Grice was pleased to be awarded the money to continue to fund the project, which encourages young people to work towards a career in food and farming. He said: 'The money will enable us to continue to keep our excellent partnership with businesses and help us to fund the co-ordinator to go out and work with schools and colleges to get young people and families excited about the great opportunities available in Devon and Cornwall. 'All the businesses are wanting to employ more people than we have going into the industry. The rural economy of the South West is growing and the needs of businesses are changing. This funding will enable us to work closer with a number of our key industry partners to deliver students with the right skills set to meet industry needs. 'Delivering people with the right skills, experiences and overall employability are core to everything we do. ' Dr Le Grice said that the first phase of the project was so successful the trust agreed to support it for the next couple of years. The Prince's Countryside Fund, which has contributed £4.4-million in grants in the four years since its inception, was set up by the Prince of Wales to provide support to the multitude of remarkable organisations and individuals working tirelessly to keep farmers farming and keep rural communities alive. The fund is unique in that it doesn't support the environment, buildings or wildlife, but the people who manage and maintain the countryside. The £50,000 awarded to Duchy College was part of the Trust's £600,000 for investments in inspiring countryside initiatives. Helen Aldis, manager at the Prince's Countryside Fund, said: 'These grants will help to maintain and support a sustainable farming and rural community in Britain through the provision of vital education and training, which will not only equip young people with the skills required to succeed in important rural careers, but also provide existing farmers and rural businesses with much-needed financial and business support to remain viable and grow. 'The projects we are funding aim to tackle some of the challenges our rural communities are facing. The farming industry has warned of a skills shortage if the 60,000 new entrants we need in the next decade are not found. 'We also must grasp the opportunity to increase the quantity of British produced food to reduce our reliance on imported food which is currently at 40 percent. 'The Prince's Countryside Fund, with the help of our marvellous supporting companies, is proud to support the people, organisations and communities working to protect and ensure a long-term future for British farming, agriculture and the wider rural economy.'