Training your apprentice

Choosing a learning provider then working with them to plan an apprenticeship programme that meets the needs of your service and the individual apprentice.

Photo by Robert Gray

Choosing a learning provider

Most apprentices spend one day a week attending training away from the workplace with a local college or specialist training provider. It’s also possible for apprentices to complete training on a block release basis.

You can search for learning providers on the following websites:

• Landex: browse a map of UK land-based colleges
• Lantra CourseFinder: search for horticulture courses and apprenticeship programmes.

In selecting a learning provider you need to consider the following issues.

Location

How easy will it be for your apprentice to travel to the learning provider’s premises? If you have a number of apprentices, you could look into providing minibus transport for the group. If there are no learning providers within easy travelling distance, you may be able to find one that is willing to deliver training at your premises.

Bear in mind that providers are not necessarily territorial when they deliver at the workplace – the most suitable for you may be based in another part of the country.

Quality

Will the learning provider deliver high-quality training, support and assessment for your apprentice? Will they liaise well with you and your staff? Training providers are judged on quality of training and support, timely provision of accurate information and close liaision with employers. As well as checking what the provider says about itself, it is very useful to obtain references from other employers who have used the provider. Your GreenSpace regional forum may be able to provide useful information in this area.

Content

Does the learning provider support the pathway that you want to follow for your horticulture apprenticeship programme? Are they able to offer the units that you may want to include? You will need to negotiate your needs with the provider.

Learning providers generally offer a phone number to discuss your needs for apprenticeship. You will need to contribute planning, time and resources to making the apprenticeship work. Ask for a site visit to assess your needs and discuss how the provider can meet them.

Communication

Will you find it easy to work closely with the learning provider to plan and manage your programme? Your relationship with the learning provider is about creating a partnership for learning, so good communication and interaction is vital. It’s important that you, the trainer, assessor and apprentice are easily available to each other by phone, email and in person.

Planning your programme

Your learning provider will work with you to develop a programme that is right for your organisation and for your apprentice. If you have more than one apprentice, each should get a programme tailor-made for their needs.

It’s essential that the course content relates directly to tasks that the apprentice will be doing in the workplace, as this is where the learning provider will assess the apprentice’s performance. For example, if planting is never done in the workplace, then it would be impossible to assess and the apprentice could not pass that unit. Good employers make special provision to cover small gaps in assessment needs.

Job rotation

Your programme should give your apprentice experience of different aspects of horticulture and, if possible, introduce them to the full range of operations in your organisation. You may want them to spend some time in office-based roles.

Horticulture apprentices often rotate through different teams or sites, moving into a new area every one or two months. Each rotation should be stimulating and contribute to the apprentice’s overall development. It is not good practice for the apprentice to spend two months only tidying leaves. Read about apprentice rotation at Bath and North East Somerset Council.

Additional certificates

 You may want to build additional professional certificates into your apprenticeship programme, to further enhance the apprentice’s skills and learning portfolio.

• RHS qualifications: RHS certificates are highly respected throughout the horticulture industry. Qualifications include the level 2 certificate in horticulture, level 3 advanced certificate and level 3 diploma.
• NPTC: the level 2 national certificate in horticulture can be undertaken one day per week over two years.
• NPTC: skills, e.g. use of specialised machinery.

Learning from good practice

A month-by-month training programme

Horticulture apprentices at Bath and North East Somerset Council follow a monthly rotation system to gain experience and skills in a broad range of areas, from city parks to playing fields.