Excellent article about the perception of gardening and how it needs to change to entice the next generation.
Very telling quote : "At a time of massive youth unemployment, and with the British horticultural industry lamenting the increasing lack of skilled home-grown job applicants, this is bizarre. Quite apart from the damage to the industry, there’s the human cost that comes from (as the survey also found) the 70 per cent of adults who reported that no one mentioned even the possibility of horticulture as a career when they were leaving education."
The industry needs to welcome this generation with open arms, remember it as much about their practical abilities as it is their academic capabilities.
Links well to this similar LJN Thread
We need to ensure all obstacles are removed and see initiatives to get them involved as clearly the current approach by our industry lets the side down.
We need to forget the Awards, Shows, back slapping & see some movement, some initiatives from a consolidated industry approach.
I struggle to find good staff due to the above, and feel the only option I've currently have is train them ourselves as I have done with Apprenticeships. It works to an extent, but is not the whole answer.
I've got ideas that I would like to take further, ideally using Forums such LJN as part of the solution & platform.
Other "industry" forum commentators have said they don't want to get Political, but if we don't, who will ?
Finally what's your view - WHO is failing WHO ?
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We live in a world of IT, smart phones and Ipads, kids in primary are now being taught how to live in a computer generated world. Hands on labour intensive trades are being ignored completely to my mind, shame because there are tens of 000's of school leavers who would do well in the manual trades if they were opened up to them by the education system more, not every kid is a computer geek, but they just don't think about working in our trade.
Well done for bringing this up Gary.
I think one of the industry's problems is that many don't have a great deal to offer young people. And because it's difficult to offer a good package it equally hard to hold on to young staff.
There's also no denying that landscape and horticulture related work is tough on the body as well as not being financially rewarding.
I think we need to start with security and welfare. We also need to project the industry as a worthwhile one needing many skills and experience.
I think we could do so much more. A Landscape Juice academy has been my long-term dream.
The biggest problem is it requires energy and money in equal measures.
Agreed, the perception is, as i see it, that gardening and/or landscaping is regarded as hard graft with poor wages, i think most young people happy to do manual work are far more likely to start as a labourer in the building trade, because it is more attractive and supposedly the wages are better, imho.
When i left school (1987!) it was all about exams and good grades, and further education, and i dont believe its changed, if anything its got worse, i dont ever recall being asked about a more manual based career other than builder! and i have to admit, that i got into it only because i was made redundant, liked gardening and was interested in plants, so thought why not give it a bash!
Many kids that struggle academically can be very proficient manually, if they are given guidance earlier in life and not just pushed to study, study and study a bit more, but because of their aptitude, fail and end up in McD's or on a checkout!
Brian www.mibservices.co.uk said:
I agree more could be done to help those who don't know much about their options in business though.
Valid points, Dan.
Do you think is because those we see on here have already the foresight, energy and desire to run their own business?
We need to ensure there are the people that go on to help make a business as success. One can have great business sense, plan as a Boss etc, but unless you can "deliver" the work using skilled staff, you surely will not grow or worse still, fail.
Dan Frazer Gardening said:
Myself and an associate business set up two stands at Hadlow College in Kent at their Careers Fair in February this year. On the garden maintenance side we had many long discussions and took the names and addresses of 6 people studying various aspects of horticulture and garden design etc., who seemed very enthusiastic about working for us. Now, 6 weeks later, only one has come forward and is now working for us. Pay rates for maintenance were nearly double minimum wage I should add. We also advertised in the college but not a single response in over a year.
On the tree surgery side 4 people showed great interest at Hadlow and left details, and now 6 weeks later none have come forward. Again, good wages were on offer, £60-80 a day for an inexperienced groundsman.
I also tried to recruit workers from Plumpton College, but they don't seem to have a careers day, and no-one ever returned my calls, and no response from internal advertising by us.
I was very disappointed with the lack of interest, and this at top agricultural institutions. I certainly will not bother with any more recruitment directly from colleges.
We have now filed the posts available by a combination of using Gumtree - fantastic response, over 70 callers, and advertising for staff wanted on our websites.
The people we have recruited this way are very motivated, well qualified and excellent workers.
A bit of a mystery !!??
In terms of the horticulture, that's exactly the line I would take colleges etc. Are they all going for setting up co. on their own, or working at garden centres. Why train in this line, but don't wish to venture into the world !!!!, mnnnn my mind ponders.
Crazy - questions in my mind ...
Does the above show our industry and associated bodies are failing us as potential employers or is it a disenfranchised generation coming through ?
Are expectations being set correctly by the colleges, advisers, industry bodies ?
What is done to publicise the industry as being a 'place to be' ?
For me the answer seems to be that we, the working industry, need to take more control and have more input into these areas rather than slapping each other on the back....I take the former approach and hence why I get more involved in training & employer liaison organisations than other non-productive organisations.
What really impresses me (...not...) is the 'head in sand' approach by some in our industry.
So, are we heading for self imposed extinction if we have no good youngsters coming thru the ranks and what can we, as practitioners and business people do about it ?
Dont get me started on this one!! So many Colleges, courses, etc are there give employment to the people that run the courses and Colleges! Too much theory, not enough 'do'. There really isn't the money in the trade to justify the work that goes into qualifications. Maybe 'we' could become part time advisers - paid of course!
Hi everyone
Ive read the above posts and can see where this conversation is coming from. I have a foot both education and also work as a self employed Landcsaper. Education could be said to be falling hort on delivering exellence to our industry and guilty of focusing inwards on a business model that feeds the individual FE establishments..
I have many friends within the Industry and within the teaching profession. On the coal face there are some fantastic inspirational people out there delivering to young people. Take a look further up the ladder and there becomes a blurring of the terms delivering exellence and preforming to a standard that delivers results and brings in the funding.
the whole system is fundamentally flawed in this area and we have become wary of allowing young people to fail!
Whats wrong with a course offering the specific skills at various levels to a young person who can then take that skill and apply it in industry?
College must be held accountable for creating the habitual student who drifts from one qualification to another without the proper mentoring and guidance so to fuel the business funding model ?
I would welcome any input on this subject as we are in a serious skills shortage right now and need some joined up thinking to move this on.
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