Provision of a range of learning and development services to support staff in the delivery of the environment agencies corporate objectives in respect of agriculture.

The requirements for this contract are to recruit high-quality suppliers who are able to provide a range of learning and development services, enabling Environment Officers to deliver their role and corporate objectives.

This contract will cover the provision of activities in the following areas:

• design and delivery of bespoke and innovative training to build knowledge, skills, capabilities and confidence;

• support new ways of working and new tools as they develop;

• advice and support in relation to training development and delivery;

• being up to date with current legislation and trends/practices and consideration around

New ways of working

This will ensure that our Environment Officers are:

• competent, safe and fully trained to carry out an enforcement role;

• prepared, confident and capable in their roles.

Overarching requirements of the agriculture training programme

• capability — the programme must provide the underpinning knowledge and skills our staff need, including those needed to work effectively with farmers and farming enterprises, to enable them to maximise their potential within their role during and after completion of the training programme;

• Better Regulation — our staff need to understand and consistently apply the Hampton ‘Better Regulation’ Principles and the outcomes of the MacDonald Farming Regulation Task Force throughout our regulatory role in agriculture;

• proactive risk management — for agricultural activities which have the potential to harm the environment staff must be able to:

— formulate and assess risk in proportion to its significance and priority in relation to other risks,

— Identify and appraise management options available where there is a clear case for protection; and where there is, to be able to effectively communicate, support and assist farmers to address the risk in the most appropriate way;

• reactive pollution management (source-pathway-receptor analysis) — staff must be able to:

• trace and evidence the linkages between sources of pollution and receptors;

• assess likely impact;

• identify and appraise the management options 1 available to solve the issue at the root of the problem; and

• effectively communicate, support and assist farmers to address the problem in the most appropriate way.