Scotland’s experts on farmer co-ops and food industry collaboration, we work with food and farming businesses to make them more profitable, competitive, and sustainable - #workingtogether to shape the future, today.
All our work helps facilitate farmers and food and drink businesses to work together effectively. Over the years we've expanded and developed subsidiary businesses - getting the right people together and making innovative advancements - to help benefit food, farming and rural Scotland.
Developing staff capability is one of the most effective ways to improve a co-op’s performance. Check out our events and training programme - most of which are open to non co-op members too.
As a development organisation, owned by our members, we provide a range of specialist services not available elsewhere, to assist them in developing their people and their businesses. Get in touch to find out how we can help you.
See below for all the latest news, views and updates from us here at SAOS. Find all our latest videos on YouTube at: SAOS - working together in food and farming
04 October 2023
We recently caught up with Anna Delday, SAOS Co-op Development and Training Manager, to get her thoughts on the importance of training, and what's coming up in SAOS’s newly expanded and refreshed training programme.
“It’s often said that an organisation should hire for talent and train for skills. This is a useful mantra that applies to all levels within a business or organisation but relies on a real commitment from employers to prioritise staff training and development, and employees to be willing to learn and develop their skills and knowledge.
The value of training should never be underestimated. Whether it’s at high level, in strategy and management, or focused on operations and delivery – everyone in your organisation, whatever its size, has an important role to play in making the business a success.
There are many reasons given for not undertaking, let alone prioritising. training. Cost, availability, and time are common ‘hurdles’, but often the key underlying reason is a reluctance to be seen to need training. In SAOS, we’ve worked hard to address all these concerns. We have a great record in delivering high quality training that is responsive to the changing needs of our sector and the many businesses we work with. We understand that everyone is busy in the day to day running of businesses, and that time is often the most precious resource.
SAOS has developed a unique suite of courses specially tailored for farmers, directors, managers, and staff from co-ops, sector organisations and rural and agri/food
businesses. We’ve designed a blend of in-person and digital workshops and courses; from our new in-person "Consultative Sales and Selling" course, to our two session, online, "The Art of Being an Effective Chairperson" workshops; there's lots happening and in a mix of delivery methods to allow easier access. Another key benefit of all our training is the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals in a very professional training environment, the value of meeting and learning with others is not only rewarding but, we believe, invaluable.
Our programme is about prioritising the team and investing in them so that every individual wants to, and can, make a real impact on business activity and output. That’s the key."
Next up on the SAOS Training Programme:
The Full Programme for 2023/24 is available here - https://saos.coop/events-and-training/