October 13, 2023 - Turf Matters

Q&A with Sophie Allen: Sophie Allen started her apprenticeship with Agrovista Amenity as a Trainee Business Support Administrator 17 months ago. As a keen cricketer and a volunteer groundsperson at her local cricket club, Sophie was already aware of Agrovista before applying for the position.

In this Q&A Sophie reveals her love of the sport and how she’s developing into her role within the company.

Q&A with Sophie Allen

Before you started your apprenticeship you worked as a volunteer groundsperson at your local cricket club – are you still doing this?

Yes, I’m still currently at my local Cricket Club, Allscott, where I am captain and organiser of our ladies’ team. There’s a lot of development going on over at the club, with a new clubhouse being built to improve our facilities. This year we are having a big push on bringing new players into all our teams and building the foundations of the club with our junior teams. With this new development, I am also due to become treasurer of our cricket section starting the 2024 season.

With regards to the maintenance of the ground, I work alongside my dad Jason who is the Head Groundsperson and has recently become a county pitch advisor for Shropshire.

Working alongside him is really eye opening due to the knowledge he has, and I am always learning something new. I tend to help him out as and when I can, whether it be after work for a couple of hours in the week or possibly a Saturday morning before the match. I would say that my favourite maintenance task is either marking out the wicket or using the roller to roll the wickets out.

What are your main responsibilities as a Business Support Administrator?

I work within the customer support team, so my main responsibilities are confirming orders from our Ecommerce platforms and our account managed customers, telephone communication with customers through our customer support call centre, dealing with customer support tickets, assisting the sales team, and answering the door to customers.

What does a typical day at work look like?

My average day can be very different but usually consists of opening everything up in the morning and checking if there is anything urgent that requires my attention. If there is, then I will deal with it straight away. If not, then I will get all the orders allocated to me confirmed.

After this, I will check my tickets and emails and deal with enquiries on these. We will usually have a few calls whilst doing these jobs, so if I’m free, I will take as many calls as I can. Then for the rest of the day, I will flick between confirming any new orders that are placed on the system and new enquiries, along with dealing with any issues that I may be chasing with a supplier or courier.

Did you enjoy completing your NVQ and how did you manage to fit your studies in alongside working?

I have recently completed an NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration. Within this, I learned about a variety of things, such as IT packages, personal development, project management, organisation, stakeholders, building a project, communication, personal skills, teamwork and many more topics. We were given a certain number of hours that they call ‘off the job hours’ to complete the relevant tasks and coursework. So, I found it manageable to balance this work along with my day-to-day work within the customer support team to complete my apprenticeship.

Learning new skills through my apprenticeship programme has really helped in the development of my skills within my role in the customer support team. One key skill I feel I have developed through my apprenticeship is confidence.

The support from Agrovista Amenity has been really good. If there has ever been an issue, then it has been sorted instantly and I couldn’t ask for a better company to work for.

What are your goals now you have completed the apprenticeship?

Now that I have completed my NVQ I am hoping to progress my responsibilities within the customer support team. I would really like to carry on developing new skills and hopefully gain new qualifications.

For more information about Agrovista UK, visit www.agrovista.co.uk/amenity

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Bookings open for Bernhard Academy programmes: The Bernhard Academy, the turf industry’s foremost education provider, has unveiled its all-new programme of educational courses, that are now available for booking at its three Academy sites around the UK via the new Bernhard Academy website.

The new courses have been carefully curated over the past 12-months and are designed to help greenkeepers, turf professionals, and mechanics take their skills to the next level. The courses offer valuable opportunities for attendees to take away real-world skills and solutions that can enhance the performance of their turf maintenance facility on a day-to-day basis.

Bookings open for Bernhard Academy programmes

Managing Director of Bernhard and Company, Steven Nixon, said: “We are thrilled to see this new programme of courses come to life after months of research and development. We’ve really been working hard to truly understand what it is that the turf industry needs, to continue moving forward, so we are excited to offer courses that address those needs head-on.”

Bernhard Academy has partnered with respected golf venues around the UK and installed bespoke facilities tailored to turf maintenance workshops. Each of the new courses will be delivered in a world-class learning environment at either Moortown Golf Club or Royal Norwich Golf Club in England – in addition to the Bernhard Academy headquarters in Haverhill – and Gleneagles in Scotland. There will also be an interactive online webinar series, which will be delivered live from the Bernhard Academy in Haverhill.

The new programme features educational courses that fall under two categories: Management or Technical. Both categories will cover a range of essential topics to help achieve success in turf maintenance.

The Bernhard Academy Management Series is an interactive and engaging series of workshops that will provide guidance to those in supervisory, middle management, and senior management positions, supporting the transition through their careers. The courses available to book are:

– The power of understanding others: Develop crucial interpersonal skills to foster effective relationships within teams and with stakeholders
– Using data and information for solid decision making: Learn how to utilise data for well-informed decision-making in turf management

– Principles of innovation and how to generate great ideas in the workplace: Explore the foundations of innovation and techniques for generating creative ideas in a professional setting
– Managing finance, prepare and control budgets: Learn the fundamentals of budgets and how to deliver to your business needs
– Stakeholder communication and engagement techniques that work: Master the art of stakeholder management, a critical aspect of successful turf maintenance projects
– Transparent project management tools to achieve great results: Acquire project management skills to plan, execute, and oversee turf-related projects efficiently
– Change – how to prepare and manage effectively: Understand strategies for effectively preparing for and managing organisational change
– Performance management and unlocking maximum productivity: Learn techniques for optimising productivity through effective performance management

Additionally, the Bernhard Academy offers a technical, skills-based course:

– Cutting unit setup and sharpening techniques: This course provides hands-on training in the precise setup and maintenance of cutting units, ensuring agronomic and economical benefits and best quality of turf presentation and health

Craig Haldane, Director of Education for the Bernhard Academy, added: “At the Bernhard Academy, we are committed to empowering individuals in the sports turf and club management industry with the knowledge and skills they need to excel in their roles and careers. Our courses are designed to meet industry demands and have been created to allow attendees to take the next step in their career. We look forward to welcoming passionate participants that are eager to learn and continue driving this great industry forwards.”

Seize the opportunity to enhance your turf maintenance career by securing a place in one of the Bernhard Academy’s educational courses today and embark on a journey of professional growth.

For booking information, course details, registration, and support please visit the new user-friendly Bernhard Academy website: www.bernhardacademy.co.uk

For more information on the Bernhard Academy, you can visit the LinkedIn page: www.linkedin.com/company/bernhard-academy/

You can also find the Bernhard Academy on Twitter at @BernhardAcademy or on Instagram at @bernhard_academy.