NC Rural Skills

Fergal joined SRUC in 2012 as the Aquaculture Learning Centre Manager. Before moving to Scotland, he was Freshwater Farms Manager in the Irish Salmon Farming industry and also worked on wild salmon conservation projects.

He is currently the course tutor for Rural Skills and also teaches classes in Animal Care and Engineering.

“What I like most about being an Instructor at the Barony is the diversity of the courses available and the people who take them.”

Tony is based at Elmwood and has worked at SRUC since 2012, first in the Horticulture department, then in the Environment and Countryside department where he’s a tutor for the Rural Skills and Land Based Studies courses. He also teaches on the NC and HNC Wildlife and Conservation courses. 

Prior to SRUC, Tony worked as a Ranger in Fife and Tayside for 30 years and is currently Treasurer for the Scottish Countryside Rangers' Association, having been Chair, Vice-chair and International Representative in the past. 

Philip has worked in forestry for twenty years and has a background in forest research. 

Before joining SRUC at our Barony Campus to teach forest ecology and GIS, Philip ran a horse logger business in North Scotland focusing on low impact timber extraction. He then moved to SE Asia to work in sustainable development and community-based forest management. This included working of mangrove reforestation and restoration, and sustainable ecotourism.

Joe gained degrees in Anthropology and Environmental Forestry before deciding academia wasn’t for him. 

He began working as a horticultural gardener at a country park, where he learned he loved working with nature. From there he moved into arboriculture, and discovered that he also loves climbing trees. He describes it as "something he fell into, but hopefully won't fall out of".

Joe enjoys learning new ways of working and passing that learning on.