Media contact:
Karl Hansell
BIGGA
+44 (0)7586 589 369
Press release Monday 21 November 2022
Updated standard for greenkeeping apprentices to be rolled out by Greenkeepers Training Committee and Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education
The Greenkeepers Training Committee (GTC) has released information about a new qualification that will provide golf greenkeepers and other sports turf apprentices with advanced knowledge as they work to produce exceptional playing surfaces from grassroots through to professional levels.
The Level 3 Advanced Sports Turf Technician apprenticeship has been approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) and is now available for delivery.
Sponsored by the Department of Education, IfATE is an employer-led organisation that supports employer groups in the development of world-leading apprenticeships and technical education systems. During 2020, IfATE undertook a review of apprenticeship standards within associated industries. The Advanced Golf Greenkeeper Apprenticeship had been approved for delivery in January 2020 but as a result of the review, the Greenkeeper Trailblazer and Sports Turf Trailblazer groups were approached by IfATE to develop a Level 3 Standard and End-point Assessment Plan (EPA) that could sit across both disciplines.
Trailblazer groups are responsible for developing a new apprenticeship for an occupation and then revise the apprenticeship as needed. Both groups understood it would be challenging to develop an apprenticeship that aligns comfortably across greenkeeping and the various other sports turf disciplines, but after many months of discussions between employers, training providers and IfATE, the Level 3 Advanced Sports Turf Technician apprenticeship has been produced and approved.
Improvements to the apprenticeship include more comprehensive assessment of knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs), which are undertaken through a written test, the creation of a project that must then be presented and a professional discussion and facility walk.
The Standard and End-point Assessment Plan can be accessed on the IfATE website.
Les Howkins MG is chairperson of the Golf Greenkeeping Trailblazer Group. He said: “It is great that we have been able to come together and work with the Sports Turf Trailblazer Group to develop a comprehensive Level 3 apprenticeship that we feel works across all disciplines within the sports turf sector and provides a career progression from the well-established Level 2. Following a lot of hard work alongside the Sports Turf group, we believe the Advanced Sports Turf Technician apprenticeship delivers what employers and apprentices in our sector need.”
Delivery director at IfATE, Robert Nitsch, said: “We are pleased to announce that the Advanced Sports Turf Technician Level 3 apprenticeship has been approved for delivery. The Sports Turf and Golf Greenkeeping Trailblazer groups have worked together to develop a standard suitable for sports turf technicians across a wide range of settings. This apprenticeship will form part of a suite of sports turf and golf greenkeeping apprenticeships and will provide a progression route for those previously achieving Level 2 qualifications. The apprenticeship will become the recognised standard for all advanced sports turf technicians.”
The Advanced Golf Greenkeeper apprenticeship will continue to be offered until it is decommissioned in 2023. The latest start date for apprentices will be 31 August 2023. There is no impact on those already registered on that standard.
The following employers all contributed to the creation of the new standard, along with support from training providers and End-point Assessment Organisations: British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA), Crosfields School, Edgbaston Stadium, England Golf, Frilford Heath Golf Club, the GTC, Gaudet Luce Golf Club, Grounds Management Association, Highfield Sports Ground, Leicester City FC Sports Turf Academy, Leyland Golf Club, Portmore Golf Centre, The Richmond Golf Club, Trentham Golf Club, Myerscough College, Kings School, Nottingham University, Oaklands College, Whitgift School.
For more information on the Advanced Sports Turf Apprenticeship, contact The GTC’s Fiona Lyttle on (01347) 838 640 or fiona@the-gtc.co.uk
Notes to editors
The Greenkeepers Training Committee is the independent organisation representing British golf club employers and greenkeepers through a Board of Directors, advisory groups and a fully-time employee.
Golf greenkeepers play a vital role in golf course maintenance and management and golf greenkeeping is a rewarding career in the great outdoors. The GTC was set up as the industry body to promote the career of greenkeeping in England, Scotland and Wales through the provision of quality education and training.
A golf greenkeeper is responsible for the maintenance, care and overall appearance of a golf course. It is their job to ensure that the golf club provides a good quality playing survace for its members. The GTC has, in consultation with golf club employers and training providers, developed quality training courses and apprenticeships that the golf industry requires if it is to prosper and thrive.
For more information visit www.the-gtc.co.uk
