Local authorities boost green space skills sector

More than half of urban local authorities took on green space apprentices last year, offering a boost to the CABE Skills to grow strategy addressing the shortage of skills in the green space sector.

The strategy has identified apprenticeship as an important route into green space careers. According to the latest estimates, green space apprenticeships in urban authorities rose from 31 per cent in 2008 to over 50 per cent in 2009. Thanks to Communities and Local Government grants of £1 million, an initial 60 green space apprenticeships were awarded in March 2009.

Grants have now been offered for a further 175 apprentices in urban local authorities. CABE Space offers online guidance on running good apprenticeship schemes, including inspiring films following the progress of individual apprentices. And sector skills council Lantra has created a new horticultural apprenticeship framework offering a ‘pathway’ tailored to people working in public green spaces.

The Skills to grow strategy was launched in March 2009, supported by 15 national partners. It aims to address the problems that the green space sector faces with staff recruitment and retention, a shortage of management and leadership skills and a lack of co-ordinated working.

The sector has been boosted further by an increase in enrolments in green space college courses and the arrival of a new green diploma for schools.

The numbers enrolling on accredited landscape courses rose by 25 per cent last year, helped by two CABE-supported careers promotions - the GROW horticultural careers initiative and the Landscape Institute’s ‘I want to be a landscape architect’ campaign. And a new 14-19 environmental and land-based diploma started in 52 schools across England in September 2009, encouraging greater interest in green careers among young people.

Skills to grow identified seven priorities to improve green skills and an action plan for 2009/10 has seen 22 of 48 planned actions completed, with a further 24 under way.
In other positive developments:

• he Institute for Parks and Green Spaces (IPGS), the new professional body for park and green space managers, with support from CABE Space, is developing a Chartered Management Institute-accredited training course at level 4 aimed at green space managers, from March. It is offering discounts on course costs for IPGS members. Visit the new IPGS website or email Stuart Mansbridge for details.
• The English Heritage-supported historic and botanic gardens bursary scheme is offering short courses in leadership and management aimed at park and historic garden managers and further management short courses are being offered by other organisations such as APSE
• The number of schools involved in an RHS-led campaign for school gardening has doubled from 5,000 in 2008 to nearly 10,000 in 2009.
• A new ‘diploma employers champions’ network’ encourages long-term employer involvement in the 14-19 environmental and land-based diplomas. Seven green space managers have been employed as diploma champions including Leicester City Council’s head of parks and green spaces, Richard Welburn.

The CABE Space leaders programme runs for the fifth time in February 2010, training 81 green space managers in leadership and management skills.

CABE sponsors the APSE horticultural apprentice of the year award, encouraging excellence and offering good examples of apprenticeship schemes. The number of applicants for the awards has risen steadily over the past two years.

The IPGS is co-ordinating green space organisations whose remits overlap to identify gaps in training provision and opportunities for joint working.

The Improvement & Development Agency (IDeA) has created a virtual community to share information, publicise events and co-ordinate work on green space skills. There are over 40 members. To sign up for this free resource, go to www.communities.idea.gov.uk and type in ‘green space skills’ in the search box, then click on ‘green space skills’.