Training & Development
Wendy O’Brien mowing a green during the Masters at Augusta National
Greenkeeping is a very male dominated profession. How can we inspire others to follow your path into the industry?
“I think this can be a difficult industry, not only for females but young persons too. You have to be prepared to work hard, in all weathers, and really show commitment to your job. It’s hard when all your friends are going out on a weekend and you have to be in work at 6.00am on a Sunday to cut greens! But, with that said, it’s an amazing job and l still miss being on the golf course sometimes. l think a lot could be done to promote the industry as a whole, although this has improved over the years.”
Anyone looking into going in to horticulture should be made more aware of the option for greenkeeping. In Spain, there were many more females in the agronomy industry, l think the sector needs to work hard to promote the training and career options available and, also, managers need to consider hiring females when/if they apply for the position. I think, naturally, this will always be more of a male dominated industry, but there will always be the exceptions to the rule!”
We spoke to Wendy during a training day at
Jack Keenan with Acting Groundsman Supervisor Dale Ketteridge inspecting the playing surface at West Hills training complex
Manchester Grammar School where she was delivering a mix of Level 2 and Level 3 training to the team under the supervision of Head Groundsman, Brian Minshall.
Brian, himself an ex Myerscough College learner, said; “The training from Wendy at Myerscough College is first class. Also, the workbased delivery model means there is little disruption to our business, and that the training can be in real-life situations using our tools and equipment. We currently have a mix of Level 2 and Level 3 learners and they are all progressing well.”
Recruitment
We continue to drive recruitment of Apprentices across the country. Recent highlights have been the managed recruitment of eight Grounds Maintenance Apprentices at Solutions SK, Stockport who have now all started, and also another football club chooses Myerscough College as we begin delivering training at Birmingham City FC. Jack Keenan has just joined the team as an Apprentice Groundsman.
The 17-year-old, from Yardley Wood, will be working at the club’s impressive training complex at West Hills under the direction of acting Groundsman Supervisor, Dale
Ketteridge, whilst studying his Intermediate Apprenticeship in Sportsturf under the expert guidance of Myerscough College.
Jack is not the only newly appointed Apprentice at the club and Human Resources Manager, Michelle Daly explains the clubs stance on Apprenticeships; “We see Apprenticeships as a fantastic way of bringing young people into our business. They allow us to train and mould the future workforce, providing a supportive working environment, along with the highest quality training we can source. It’s clear that Myerscough College come with a strong pedigree in terms of Sportsturf Training and I know Jack will get the best possible chance to have a long career with us here at Birmingham Football Club.”
Myerscough College can offer assisted recruitment for Apprentices across England in any of our delivery sectors.
Level 3 Funding for over 24s U turn
From September 2013, there has been no government funding available towards the cost of Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeships. The funding was replaced by a learner loan facility repayable by the learner based on future income.
Recently, the rules on funding for Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeships has changed, with part funding for programmes being reinstated and learner loans scrapped for these programmes.
So, presently, if you are aged 24+ and wish to study a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship in the Workplace, then we may be able to support you with part funding for the scheme. There is still a small employer contribution towards the cost of the training and learners cannot have already studied ANY qualification at Level 4 or above.
Wendy O’Brien with the Manchester Grammar School grounds team, l-r: Brian Minshall - Head Groundsman, Daniel Minshall, Andrew Slack, Pete Mellor - Deputy Groundsman, Greg Newton and Wendy O’Brien
140 I PC APRIL/MAY 2014
For more information on any of our training solutions, or if you have a bespoke training request, please contact the Employer Services Team at Myerscough College on 01995 642255 or email
employerenquiries@myerscough.ac.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156