Apprentices: you’re hired!

OLDHAM is to get a green apprentice to help care for the borough’s parks under a £1 million scheme to boost horticultural skills.

The Government handout will enable 47 councils to recruit a new generation of green-fingered apprentices to help to keep England’s parks and green spaces growing.

Announced yesterday by Housing Minister Margaret Beckett, it means people of any age who have a keen interest in horticulture will be able to apply for a traineeship scheme.

It will give them the opportunity to improve their green skills as well as helping the nation’s towns and cities stay green.

Attention

Oldham hit the headlines three years ago when its trail-blazing modern apprenticeship scheme caught the attention of Gardener’s World.

TV gardener Joe Swift and a camera crew spent the day in Alexandra Park talking to apprentices and looking at their work for a special show on the nation’s parks.

This new appointment will bring the number of horticultural apprentices in Oldham to eight, and they will follow in the footsteps of one of England’s favourite gardeners, former green apprentice, Alan Titchmarsh.

As a youngster, he trained with Ilkley Council in Yorkshire, and it gave him a stepping stone to a star-studded career in horticulture.

He said: “The practical skills provided by apprenticeships are every bit as important as university degrees, especially those involved with the landscape and environment.

“As a former apprentice myself, I value apprenticeships tremendously.”

Mrs Beckett said they would be green ambassadors in their communities, taking responsibility for making parks and open spaces places for everyone to enjoy.

“Green spaces and green infrastructure should not be an added luxury,” she said. “If we really are to tackle climate change, protect both our environment and our health, green spaces need to be at the heart of our communities.”

Shortage

A delighted Mark Alcock, Oldham’s Cabinet member for Environment and Infrastructure said: “Since 1995 we at Oldham Council have been growing our own, (apprentices) as we believe in providing the opportunities for our younger people so they can get the skills needed to work locally and help make our borough even greener”.

“There is currently a national shortage of properly trained horticultural experts and this will allow us to continue to provide the necessary training for the future employees of Oldham Council.”