SCOTTISH WOODLANDS LAUNCHES LATEST GRADUATE PROGRAMME
Scottish Woodlands’ Graduate Development Programme has opened for its latest intake of future forestry leaders.
The industry-leading programme has already offered 65 young people the opportunity to forge a forestry career - with the majority already making their mark in the business.
A new video - Growing Our Own: The Scottish Woodlands Graduate Development Programme - has been released to attract more high-quality graduates, to start with the 80% employee-owned business in 2026.
It features Yolanda Piotrowicz and Amauta Halvorsen, who graduated in October 2025 after the two-year programme, as well as Lewis Taylor, who is part-way through the programme.
Lynne Macdonald, HR Manager for Scottish Woodlands Ltd, explains in the video: “In response to the skills shortage in the forestry industry, Scottish Woodlands established its Graduate Development Programme in 2017- to grow our own leaders for the future.”
Ian Robinson, Managing Director of Scottish Woodlands Ltd, says: “We're very pleased with the way the programme has developed. An increasing number of the graduates are female, and that's changed the dynamics of the company as well.”
The video stresses that graduates do not need a forestry background - Amauta was teaching in a primary school in Norway before she joined the scheme, Yolanda had been working in hospitality after studying biology, and Lewis had no previous knowledge of forestry.
“We take them from a variety of backgrounds and train them, and mould them into what we want - and that’s worked very well,” said Mr Robinson.
“Once they've graduated, they're going to be given responsibility, and could be managing their own forests. We're not going to push people unnecessarily, but if people want to progress and take more responsibility, that's great. We need people that are very good at managing forests - and we also need people that are very good at managing people.”
Lynne Macdonald describes how the graduate programme offers “realistic and hands-on practical training”, so that graduates hit the ground running.
Yolanda explains: “Now I'm coming up to finishing the graduate programme, I've started to manage properties more myself. I’m able to do that because of the training and support I’ve had for two years. I know I’m ready to start managing these things myself.”
Everyone on the scheme has a mentor, which Lewis says was really valuable: “My mentor is Morven Wilson, who's the senior compliance manager. I also have Ian Calvert, head of compliance, and they have made me feel really welcome in the team. Their knowledge of forestry has been a real eye- opener for me.”
Amauta says: “My mentor is Megan Parker, who also has an ecology background. It’s been ideal; she understands the knowledge I have, and the gaps, the knowledge I don't have.”
Lynne Macdonald concludes at the end of the video: “We've had many brilliant graduates already come through a development programme that we're very, very proud of. They're already making their mark in the business, and we look forward to welcoming many more.”
The programme is accredited through the Institute of Chartered Foresters, developing the next generation of foresters in a real-world setting rather than replicating what is learned through academic study.
The new recruits will work in a variety of locations (Scottish Woodlands has 20 offices across the UK) and learn about forest planning, new woodland creation, timber harvesting, grant applications, working with contractors, forestry finance and much more.
If you are ready to grow a sustainable career, Scottish Woodlands would be excited to hear from you. You can view our advert HERE
For more information on our Graduate Development Programme please click HERE