Horticultural businesses in the South West of England are turning to apprenticeships to help fill the current skills gap in the industry.
Duchy College, part of The Cornwall College Group, has seen a dramatic increase in the number of businesses taking on someone in a work-based learning programme.
A report by the Royal Horticultural Society, which was first published in 2014, found that 72% of horticultural businesses were struggling to fill current vacancies.
Team lead for work-based learning in horticulture, Sarah Chafer, said: “It’s brilliant, we have a lot of employers who are keen to secure the future of their business through apprenticeships. We’ve got vacancies right across the South West and more are coming forward to take on an apprentice; we have seen about a 30% increase this year.”
There are currently12 horticultural vacancies advertised, working with a range of companies and in various disciplines; from greenkeeping to grounds maintenance.
“I think this year’s increase is partly due to the government’s agenda and also students are getting savvier," said Sarah.
"They want to learn as they earn in the work place; it gives them the best of both worlds.”
An apprentice is employed from day one and will learn in the workplace, but will also attend college for one day a week. For businesses this is a great way to develop a skilled work force, boost morale amongst the team and to upskill.
Glenn Humphries, who runs his own garden design and landscaping business has had apprentices in the past through Duchy College, he said: “For us, it is a great way to grow our skills base from within and therefore grow the company.
"We also believe it is good to learn on the job from other experienced employees who in turn feel good about imparting their knowledge and experience to newcomers to the business. We can mould the apprentice to our ways of thinking and working. We take tremendous pride in our work, we're perfectionists and we have a terrific relationship with our clients.”
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