Training & Development
So you want to become a turfcare professional?
This is the time of year when many of our young people are leaving school and moving into the workplace.
Groundsmanship can offer a satisfying and enjoyable career which can meet a person’s aspirations on many levels through their working lifetime.
Here is some information for you to pass on to anyone you know who is seeking to join the profession.
So you want to become a turfcare professional?
• Do you like working outdoors in all weathers?
• Do you want to be part of a team, and yet have your own responsibilities?
• Do you want a job that's not just 9.00am-5.00pm, Monday to Friday?
• Do you want the satisfaction of helping to produce a quality playing surface for players and spectators to enjoy?
Then welcome to Groundsmanship and Greenkeeping.
First of all, I would suggest that you approach some local clubs - football, rugby, cricket - and any other sports facilities; even if they do not currently have any vacancies, maybe offer yourself as a volunteer. Many clubs are glad of an extra pair of hands, even if it is only to do general work like picking up litter and tidying up. That way you can show you are willing and it could serve you in good stead should paid work within the grounds team become available.
The local council might also be worth a try. Many local authorities contract out the sports turf maintenance work, but you might be able to obtain the name of the contractor and approach them. You could also contact the head groundsman at any public schools in your area.
There are short courses available, usually lasting a day or two, on machinery and equipment - mowers, tractors, spraying pesticides etc, that you can take without currently being employed in the industry. These courses are offered by Lantra registered training providers all over the UK - follow this link
http://www.lantra.co.uk/coursefinder.aspx
Integrated Training and Assessment courses include an assessment at the end of the training; alternatively, many courses can also lead to an NPTC assessment which may be particularly useful if you are looking to become a self employed contractor and will want to tender for local authority work.
For Safe Use of Pesticides training, the qualifying body is NPTC and their assessment takes place a few days after the training. Having qualifications in any of these areas would certainly be an advantage if you are applying for an assistant groundsman position. We regularly run 2-day Safe Use of Pesticides PA1 and PA6AW courses at our HQ at Telford.
Groundsman/Greenkeeper Job Vacancies
On the Pitchcare website, we have a section which includes not only
vacancies but also people looking for work.
If you are already a Pitchcare member, you can click on the Jobs tab. If not, you may need to become a member first, which just involves you logging onto our site and filling in your contact details - there is no charge and membership will give you access to all sorts of information and interesting stories. For instance, you might be interested in reading about Chris Lane, who became a groundsman apprentice with Wolverhampton Wanderers FC.
For further information, contact
chris@pitchcare.com.
Further Education
There are colleges around the UK which offer further education opportunities, for example, Sports Turf Apprenticeships and NVQ Level 3 course in Amenity and Horticulture (which incorporates Sports Turf).
I would suggest taking a look at the Myerscough College website
www.myerscough.ac.uk. Although located in the North West of England, Myerscough courses can be accessed from many areas of the UK.
Myerscough also offer Online Training, for example a Foundation Certificate in Sports Turf.
The Foundation Certificate is designed to develop technical, practical and employability skills to enable students to meet the demands of the sportsturf industry and employers. The student will develop skills and knowledge in soils and plant sciences, cultural practices for sportsturf, sportsturf mechanisation and business management.
In addition, the course is designed to equip students with the prerequisites to progress onto the final year of the FdSc Sportsturf course, to be completed either by full time or online study.
The Foundation Certificate consists of
www.groundsmantraining.co.uk 132 PC JUNE/JULY 2013
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