Skills, experience and qualifications for a rewarding career with planting and landscaping Good for Apprentices. . . Good for Business Working to improve gardens and grounds, a career in horticulture can be very satisfying. Types of work might include landscape or grounds maintenance, landscape construction, nursery practice, garden centres, cemetery workers and interior landscaping. The ideal apprentice will have an interest in plants and landscaped environments, an eye for detail and enjoy working as part of a team. The essentials for a career in horticulture An apprenticeship in horticulture will provide the essential skills for the different types of landscaping and horticulture work, providing practical training and experience to craft level to carry out duties performed by a gardener, landscaper or grounds maintenance operative. The course also includes the opportunity to earn NPTC certifcates to enable the safe use of machinery such as mowers and brushcutters in the work environment. An apprenticeship will also help develop a professional working style, safe working practices, awareness of the work environment and communicating effectively with colleagues and customers. • Improved motivation and morale • Bringing best practice to the work place • Better prospects for promotion • Job satisfaction through recognising skills • On average, apprentices earn over £100,000 more throughout their lifetime than other employees Other skills will include functional skills needed in the work place (Maths, English, ICT) and specialist qualifications such as the Emergency First Aid Certificate. How to get started Apprentices need to be employed in a job related to horticulture. The employer will then arrange with the College to start an apprenticeship programme. Please see the Apprenticeship Guide for full details of terms, conditions, costs and how to apply. The Apprenticeship Team will be able to help with any individual questions. Sparsholt College Apprenticeship Team: 01962 797437 [email protected] Apprenticeship case study: Ian Lucas, age 25 Apprenticeship in Horticulture Employed by Southampton Football Club The Apprentice Ian wanted to follow the family tradition of greenkeeping, but wasn’t keen on sitting in the classroom all day everyday. The Apprenticeship scheme appealed because he was learning through doing his job, and classroom time was kept to one day a week. In the end he surprised himself, saying, “Actually, I found I enjoyed college!”. Ian gets his assessed work targets out of the way as quickly as possible, allowing him freedom to pursue his work commitments. The commitment can be tiring at times. “Greenkeeping is physical work so you need to be able to set yourself some time aside to complete your work”. I was really pleased to get the job in the first place as this is somewhere I have always wanted to work. I take pride in my daily work and enjoy working as part of a friendly team. I have discovered that I have skills with machinery work such maintenance issues and this is something I was able to work into my apprenticeship units as well. The Employer Graeme Mills is Head Groundsman at Southampton FC and has been working with Sparsholt College to train his apprentices for some time. He says, “It is the most cost effective training scheme we have found through a college with an excellent reputation.” Graeme came through the apprenticeship route himself, “I know how the process works and the benefits it can bring to the working environment.” He feels the biggest advantage is that employees have the knowledge of what they are doing and why, increasing their confidence and making them more efficient. He also recognises a wider benefit. “It brings back knowledge and ideas to me and the team; it refreshes all our memories. We also talk about new practices and mix new knowledge with old, working out the best way of doing things in our workplace.” For Graeme, the benefits are worth the investment of time and support in bringing on his staff. All apprenticeship programmes include: • Competence based qualification – evidence that you can complete specific tasks in the workplace. For example, an NVQ or Work-based Diploma • Knowledge based qualification – a Technical Certificate or online assessment of your knowledge and understanding • Functional skills – Maths, English and ICT to provide the essential skills for work • Employment Rights and Responsibilities • Any additional certificates required for work, e.g. First Aid or operating specialist machinery 01962 797437 [email protected] Sparsholt College Apprenticeship Team: