Direct approach: councils are addressing the skills shortage head on with a range of training initiatives

摘要

Local authorities are trying a variety of approaches in an attempt to address the well-documented skills shortage in amenity horticulture. Some are turning to in-house training schemes, while some are starting to re-introduce the apprenticeships thatended when compulsory competitive tendering was introduced. South Somerset District Council operates an in-house training programme for all staff. "We train this way for two reasons," explains senior horticultural services officer Chris Cooper. "The first is the issue of being able to afford the time to send people on day-release to colleges and secondly, when people go to college they have the theoretical knowledge, but not necessarily the practical experience. We can adapt the training for site-specific maintenance and this provides staff with the practical application that colleges don't provide."